This week Google made an astonishing admission that gmail users and people that email Google shouldn’t expect privacy.
The company claims ‘all users of email must necessarily expect that their emails will be subject to automated processing’
A brief for Google commented ‘just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipients assistant opens the letter, people who use web based email today cannot be surprised if their emails are processed by the recipients email provider in the course of delivery.
Last week, Google’s android phone operating systems revealed a feature that will scan for networks and track use’s location even when WIFI has been turned off.
Nick pickles director of privacy group Big Brother Watch said ‘Google has repeatedly put profit in front of user privacy and the way the company ignored the concerns from regulators around the world when it changes its privacy policy showed just how little regard it had for the law.
Just because Google is big business does not put it above the law. The company has ignored the authorities and refused to make any meaningful changes to how it collects and uses people’s data.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about how their data is being used and it is essential that those breaking the law are properly punished. It is essential regulators find a sanction that is not just a slap on the wrists and will make Google think twice before it ignores consumer rights again.
Mike Odysseas managing director of Odyssey Systems said,” we respect our customer’s privacy, Details shared between businesses and their customers over email are highly confidential, it would be unethical to ‘snoop’ in on people’s private conversations. This is why we never read any of our customer’s emails and we do not keep a hard copy of them, we believe that a private conversation should be exactly that”
