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I think the privacy concerns go way beyond simply targeting ads. I suggest you research this a bit more before truly committing to this service. I think Germany has already banned gmail for these reasons.

When a coalition of 28 privacy and civil liberties groups write Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page a letter urging them to think again about the service, you have think there's more going on than what you've dediced from Google's privacy policy. Inserting ads on the fly requires a chain of directories, databases and logs, and a long memory. Those auditing trails could be correlated with data collected from Google's search site, or social networking site Orkut. The fact that Google will keep your email messages even after you delete them is probably a violation of UK and European privacy laws, too, not to mention just plain creepy. Google's use of cookies enable it to link personal details from a user's email registration to their online surfing patterns, providing the most comprehensive understanding to date of a person's life. Is that enough?

Whatever. I was unware of the letter, but having read it, I'm unmoved. Bottom line, they're offering something of value. They're not forcing anyone to use it. If they fully disclose that they target ads against the content of email messages, which they do disclose, I think they've done their part. At that point, it's up to users to decide whether or not they consider that a problem.

I am a blogger. Obviously, I'm not paranoid about putting my personal details on the web.

i agree with mark, rick.... and the fact that it is akin to the patriot act of free email is not a good sign for the future of the internet.

I don't get it. They disclose the practice. You can choose to use it or not. What's the problem?

Regarding deleting, the privacy policy now says this: "Because we keep back-up copies of data for the purposes of recovery from errors or system failure, residual copies of email may remain on our systems for some time, even after you have deleted messages from your mailbox or after the termination of your account." Maybe not as creepy as it sounded at first.

this is a test take it easy

Here the latest on what the EFF thinks about Gmail, and includes some interesting links at the bottom to others' concerns:

http://blogs.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/001375.php#001375

I should just leave well enough alone on this topic, but then I came across this comment on Esther Dyson's blog, she being a former EFF bigwig herself. I think she nails a key point a lot of the Gmail bashers are ignoring:

First off, yes, the privacy concerns are real: If you have anything really secret, you probably shouldn't write about it in Gmail... or any other public, unencrypted e-mail service. On the other hand, you *certainly* shouldn't write anything secret on your well-protected corporate service.

That is, no email is secure, if you're really concerned about the Feds getting ahold of your secret thoughts. Emails leave snatchets of themselves on relay servers all across the web. Besides, the Feds already are reading your email. Have we forgotten about Carnivore, which well pre-dates Sept. 11, 2001?

For me googles privacy policy is acceptable. I dont mind some machine reading my mails as long as they dont disclose it to third party. I especially liked the threading of mails as conversations and the simple interface of Gmail.

However, I would be happy to get some features like notification (like Yahoo messenger), signature at the bottom and text mail (which they are going to introduce soon).

I am gradually shifting from my old web-based email to Gmail and asking my friends to 'gMail' me instead of saying eMail me.

Wow, scary residual copies of e-mails. I think we should call them exactly what they are so the public knows what Google is doing: backups. That's all they are. Here's what I think the problem is: Google has told everyone they are going to do what Yahoo! and MSN probably already do, without expressly telling you. I haven't read Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail's privacy policy, but I bet you agree to have your e-mail scanned for spam, viruses and "other purposes". I bet backups are mentioned too. If anything is a complaint against Google's privacy policy, it should be that they should lobby for better protection of e-mail older than 180 days and should not be pushing the "store everything" angle as hard as they are.

As I am a owner of a blogspot blog I own my Gmail for 3 weeks now and I must say It kicks ass!!! ;-)

Since when has general purpose free email became this grand fortress of security? Hotmail and Yahoo! mail get scanned anyway.

It is fashionable to bash Google. Many people who do not like their policies are looking for press or have financial interest in competitors.

• Some have stated that Google is evil do to their own lack of hard work.
  
• Oddly enough Daniel Brandt (of Google Watch) is operating under the cloak of "public interest" and is worried about Google's "privacy policy."
  
• I would bet that not all of those privacy advocacy groups are pure. They get their funding from somewhere.
  
• People come up with stupid random conspiracy theories about Google every day.
  
• Many people are suffering from depression or anxiety but GMAIL is no legitimate reason to be concerned.
  
• It's my choice if I want to be tracked by Google, unlike what the government wishes to do.
  
• Currently I trust Google way more than I trust our government.
  
• All the tracking Google does is worthless if I stop using their services.
  
• If in the future Google misuses data then they lose market share and hopefully go bankrupt.
  
• They did not create the great value they have in such a short period of time by being greedy and short sided.

I think it's really good that Google has started to create adiitional features like Gmail. I've always liked it as a search engine but it wasn't as good as Yahoo or MSN in terms of other services. I believe that now Google will become even more popular, there might be a lot of people who like the Gmail. If I didn't have my domain name account, I would sign for Gmail as well.

Sure thing

i heard that google and yahoo offers , large memory for mail services.

Just a tip: dont use dictionary passwords!

Im sure people are sensible enough not to but just in case this article should scare you into sorting it out...

An exploit is doing the rounds... "Software designed to exploit the much lauded Gmail service has just been released this week. Aptly named "Gmail Hack" the software performs Dictionary and Brute Force Attacks against a GMail email account."

fullstory:
http://www.bonar.co.uk/bonarmedia/html/print.php?sid=13

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