Comments on: Brave new email http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/ Making it up as I go along. Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:34:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Stephen http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/comment-page-1/#comment-279 Stephen Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/#comment-279 Personally, regardless of a site's privacy policy, I would be very uncomfortable with my email residing anywhere but a system under my direct control (i.e. my PC). I'm too paranoid. On the other hand, with the under-handed marketing campaigns that abound, and the legalization of "sneak and peek" searches (where you conceivably never find out you've been violated), maybe I'm not paranoid enough. Personally, regardless of a site's privacy policy, I would be very uncomfortable with my email residing anywhere but a system under my direct control (i.e. my PC). I'm too paranoid.

On the other hand, with the under-handed marketing campaigns that abound, and the legalization of "sneak and peek" searches (where you conceivably never find out you've been violated), maybe I'm not paranoid enough.

]]> By: Laurabelle http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/comment-page-1/#comment-280 Laurabelle Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/#comment-280 Stephen, if you're that paranoid, you're better off never sending or receiving email at all, because your mail passes through numerous servers on its way to its destination. Each one of those servers could (although it probably doesn't) keep a copy of your mail. This is why email is not secure! If it makes you feel better, you could sign and encrypt your mail with PGP or GPG, but that might be taking it a little too far. My concern is not so much what Google would do with the content of the email. I'm more worried about what precedent it will set for other service providers, for example the unseen middle-men who transmit my emails back and forth. If Google can scrape my content, why can't they? Stephen, if you're that paranoid, you're better off never sending or receiving email at all, because your mail passes through numerous servers on its way to its destination. Each one of those servers could (although it probably doesn't) keep a copy of your mail. This is why email is not secure!

If it makes you feel better, you could sign and encrypt your mail with PGP or GPG, but that might be taking it a little too far.

My concern is not so much what Google would do with the content of the email. I'm more worried about what precedent it will set for other service providers, for example the unseen middle-men who transmit my emails back and forth. If Google can scrape my content, why can't they?

]]> By: Stephen http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/comment-page-1/#comment-281 Stephen Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog.niceperson.org/2004/04/12/brave-new-email/#comment-281 > Stephen, if you're that paranoid, you're better off never > sending or receiving email at all, because your mail > passes through numerous servers on its way to its > destination. Each one of those servers could (although > it probably doesn't) keep a copy of your mail. This is > why email is not secure! I had thought about that. It's a game of probabilities. It's probable my email would be caught and stored only if it were caught in the same "net" as lots of other people. No one would target me in particular because I'm a cyberspace nobody. And.... Hmmm... Although.... I suppose an intelligent enough person could set up some sort of filtering mechanism to store only messages that it flagged as being "of interest" by whatever parameters it used. See... now you made me think of something to make me more paranoid. I'll take comfort in having a fairly boring email life, I guess. > Stephen, if you're that paranoid, you're better off never
> sending or receiving email at all, because your mail
> passes through numerous servers on its way to its
> destination. Each one of those servers could (although
> it probably doesn't) keep a copy of your mail. This is
> why email is not secure!

I had thought about that. It's a game of probabilities. It's probable my email would be caught and stored only if it were caught in the same "net" as lots of other people. No one would target me in particular because I'm a cyberspace nobody. And....

Hmmm... Although.... I suppose an intelligent enough person could set up some sort of filtering mechanism to store only messages that it flagged as being "of interest" by whatever parameters it used.

See... now you made me think of something to make me more paranoid. I'll take comfort in having a fairly boring email life, I guess.

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