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WSJ Report Highlights Hundreds of External Developers Participating in Gmail Service Program Have Access to Popular Platform Messages
Some Developers Are Devoted to Creating Services That Fit Into Gmail Google to do things like help you find a good deal by comparing e-commerce offers or tools that organize tasks or, perhaps, a trip. However, this convenience seems to be compromised by a price that once again hits the heels of the Internet of Achilles: our privacy. A report published by Wall Street Journal Monday (02/07), points out that hundreds of third-party developers who signed up to participate in a Google program for Gmail-based services would read e-mails from millions of users of the popular platform. According to the article, these emails would always give private details that include complete messages and recipient addresses.
Although the applications ask the user for permission to release access to the data and, therefore, the service that they offer, the consent form does not specify that it would allow humans – not robots – to read e-mails. It should be remembered that last year, Google announced that it would prevent its computers from badyzing Gmail users' inboxes to personalize the ads, claiming that the measure was designed to maintain the trust that Google would maintain the privacy and security of its audience [19659003] The WSJ report specifically mentions two apps in question with access to Google's emails. One of them is the Return Path which badyzes users' mailboxes and collects data for advertising. According to the newspaper, Return Path executives read about 8,000 user emails two years ago to help develop the company's software. The other application comes from Edison Software which helps users organize their emails and which would have allowed their employees to read thousands of them to help the application to form the Smart Reply function.
Two companies responsible for the applications said that Gmail users consented to this practice and that it was covered by contracts of use. Google also asks users for specific permissions when it comes to third-party integrations. However, again, it is not clear that flesh and blood workers would read e-mails.
In publication on his website Return Path attempted to justify the practice:
"Like anyone who knows software, human programs – artificial intelligence comes directly from the When our engineers or our data scientists personally review e-mails from our dashboard (which is entirely in line with our rules), we make sure to limit access to the data. to control access
In a statement, CEO Mikael Berner states: "Our email application was mentioned in the context that our engineers had the opportunity to read a small random sample of unidentified emails for research and development. This method was used to guide us in developing our long-term intelligent response feature. We have since discontinued the practice and purged all of this data to meet our commitment to the highest standards. possible to ensure confidentiality. "
An Intimate Sphere of Our Data
The question of application privacy and how they collect data from their users has become of public interest since the scandal involving Facebook and the abuse of 87 million users by the political consulting firm Cambrigde Analytica.Mark Zuckerberg's company still deals with the negative balances of the story and is committed to examine and prohibit applications that abuse users' data
In the case of Gmail, there is no evidence that third-party applications misused the data, but knowing that our emails, a private and intimate sphere of our life, is subject to the eyes of others do not help to soften the situation.
Asked about his relationship with external developers, Google did not give details on the WSJ report, but it is The company stated that it strictly forbids outsiders wishing to access Gmail data.
Requested the writing of IDG Now! Google said not to comment on the subject, but that it's the developers and their applications that integrate with Gmail before opening them for general use.
The company further emphasizes that users must explicitly consent before allowing a third-party application to access their data and that, at any time, they can view this history of permissions on the functionality Security Checkup and revoke all authorizations that do not suit them.
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