"Google" recognizes: "third party" reads Gmail messages

Google, the owner of Gmail Mail, has acknowledged that private email, sent and received by Gmail users, is sometimes read by software developers.
That link their accounts to third-party applications, inadvertently allowing third-party software developers to read their messages.
A company told The Wall Street Journal that the practice was "common" and "secret".
Google pointed out that the practice did not come into conflict with its policies, while a security expert said that it was "surprising" that Google allows it.

Google allows users to link their accounts to third-party email management tools or services such as flight planning or price comparison.
External service users are required to grant specific permissions, including the ability to "read, send, delete, and manage your e-mail."
According to the Wall Street Journal, these licenses sometimes allow third-party employees to read user communications. While messages are usually handled by arithmetic systems, the newspaper has spoken to many companies, with employees reading thousands of emails.
Addison Software told the newspaper that he had reviewed hundreds of messages to develop new features.
Another company, Data Source Inc., stated that engineers had already read user communications to develop arithmetic systems.
Companies stated that they do not ask users for specific permission to read their messages on Gmail. The practice is covered by the agreements of use of these companies. "You can spend weeks of your life reading the terms and conditions," says Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey. "There may be a clear indication of this practice, but the person will never think that it makes sense to let a third company read his messages."