So I found out (through Google) that Google does in fact read your emails on Gmail, but not the way you might think. You could imagine the logistical problem of hiring enough staff to read all those emails productively. Google uses an extremely advanced supercomputer-esq software program. It goes through all Gmails and chooses keywords that are advertising friendly. If you tell your friend your going to Vegas this weekend you'll get a how to play poker advertisement because the software program picked out the keywords "going to Vegas." For me this is not as bad as what I originally thought. It is a mindless computer picking out keywords, not Dale sitting there with a Mountain Dew and a chew going through my life story. The potential for abuse is still there, but I mean, what doesn't have the potential for abuse online anymore? If I sound apathetic to this whole situation of privacy let me assure you I am not. I am pissed that all this information is out and about.
The "What do you have to hide?---So what do you care" argument is so silly. The poeple who say it aren't silly (I tottally see where your coming from), but it's just a little ignorant. Just because you don't care doesn't mean otheres wont. Who are you to tell people how to feel about their privacy? Maybe it doesn't make a difference if they have this info, but maybe it does. Peoples privacy is a very touchy subject, and its something that America prides itself on. We have privacy, i.e. freedom in this country. You must respect a persons right to feel upset or violated, because if you get real....they are being violated in a way, we all are. It just depends on how much it offends you.
Here is Googles explanation (Type in "Does Google read your mail?" into Google)
"Privacy is an issue we take very seriously. Gmail is a technology-based program, so advertising and related information are shown using a completely automated process. Ads are selected for relevance and served by Google computers using the same contextual advertising technology that powers our AdSense program. This technology lets Google target dynamically changing content such as email or daily news stories.
Because the ads and related pages are matched to information that is already of interest to you, we hope you'll find them relevant and useful.------Wow!
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5 comments:
I agree with your standpoint. But does a company even if its a computer have the right to read highlighted words on your email. I think the searches is a tough argument but I think the email is hands off, at least I would just like to think so.
How interconnected do you think freedom and privacy are?
I am one of the ones who does not really care about what people see of me on the internet. I agree with you that just because we don't care doesn't mean other people can't have their own view on privacy. I don't want everyone to think that I want some universal spy that can see everything everyone does. People can feel however they want about privacy, and there will always be an argument for both sides.
Why is the “what do you have to hide?” argument so ignorant? You say it is silly, yet you say were we are coming from? That doesn’t make sense to me.
I understand where your coming from if you think differently with that argument. Do I think your point of view is “silly?” No. Also, people who saying “they have nothing to hide” have not told people how to feel about their privacy. I have never once said I don’t respect someone because they feel violated. I respect their opinion. You’re confusing me. Your paragraph about “what do you have to hide” is confusing. You are all over the place wit your argument.
Can you please clarify.
Sam
You are quite right that I was not clear, quite unclear actually. So let me explain myself. During a class of ours I viewed not one, but many, students responding to other students concerns about their privacy with the phrase "Well if you have nothing to hide then what does it matter?...I have nothing to hide so I really don't care" Maybe I am crazy and that never happened but I am pretty sure it did. That is what I was reacting too, that is what I was saying was a little ignorant, not the people. Ok, silly was a dumb word to use, I admit that.
I said that "I knew where you were coming from" because I feel that I really am not concerned about the privacy issues because I feel I really don't have anything to hide. I didn't like the argument because of the phrase "What do you care if you have nothing to hide" Because quite honestly theres a lot of answeres to that that I feel weren't addressed fully in class. Maybe I made too big of a deal of this but were all adults so I thought it would be fine to bring it up.
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