Three replies defending Google from the pro-regulatory privacy crowd [priv]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[I'm starting to suspect that these pro-regulatory privacy folks who
are so upset about Google are really just anti-advertising. They claim
Gmail's text scanning (done entirely by a machine) is so awful and
invasive and intrusive. And of course they do this from the comfort of
their own email accounts, which are text-scanned by an anti-spam
program (also done entirely by a machine). What's the difference?
--Declan]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Politech] California state senator wants to ban Gmail [priv]
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:18:55 -0400
From: Jedidiah I. Sorokin-Altmann <jedidiah.i.sorokin-altmann () Dartmouth EDU>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
References: <407C0802.5000509 () well com>

Gmail isn't an invasion of privacy--the real intrusion is Senator
Figueroa's proposed legislation. While Gmail might be like having a
massive billboard in the middle of your home, it is like having a
massive billboard in the middle of your home that YOU asked to put
there. Nobody is going to be forcing people to switch over to a Gmail
account. While Figueroa's intentions might be good, she should spend
her energy telling people why Gmail is bad and trying to persuade them
not to use it. Legislating what e-mail service people can use is an
abuse of governmental powers.

~Jed Sorokin-Altmann
Dartmouth Civil Liberties Union, President



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [Politech] California state senator wants to ban Gmail [priv]
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:46:04 -0500
From: Greg Kavalec <Greg () Kavalec com>
To: 'Declan McCullagh' <declan () well com>
CC: <Senator.Figueroa () sen ca gov>

We here in Texas hereby offer Google the use of our fair state to host
their GMAil services.

And they need not worry, unlike California we aren't a Democratic
Peoples Republic.

G.Waleed Kavalec




-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Spend our tax dollars on getting a privacy policy of your own 
- don't worry about Google!
Date:   Mon, 12 Apr 2004 23:21:58 -0700
From:   Zack Linford <zl () swiftinternet com>
To:     <Senator.Figueroa () sen ca gov>



Dear Senator Figueroa,
 
I am writing today because I am concerned about a recent article I read
on News.com regarding your recent "call to arms" against Google's GMail
web services - as referenced in the link below:
 
http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5190219.html?tag=nefd.top
<http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5190219.html?tag=nefd.top> 
 
It strikes me as both hypocritical and shortsighted that you should
position the public's view in a negative light against Google for
privacy violations, when the contact form on your own website is
completely devoid of any privacy policy or terms of use. 
 
That said, I applaud Google's efforts to push technology forward a step
- while happily admitting the extent of their privacy intrusions for
advertising purposes. Nearly all contextual advertising including
pop-ups, banners, hotmail accounts, etc contain sophisticated user
behavior analysis - from cookies to search metrics - which could be
construed as privacy violations.
 
Bottom line - at least Google is offering full disclosure of their
privacy policies up front which allows users to make a choice! Your
website, however, leaves the privacy issue muddled and damages your
credibility as a senator that purports to understand digital privacy
rights.
 
Zack Linford
Operations Director
Swift Internet Services, LLC
---------------------------
zl () swiftinternet com <mailto:zl () swiftinternet com> 
SD 858-625-4200
SB 805-964-8999


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