Imagine the day when you go to some web site and see a picture of your wife, with a caption saying something like, “isn’t it time that you talked to your doctor about Viagra?” How about those pre video ads on YouTube with your dead grandma, telling you to consider cremation?
What does that really mean, to use your data for ad targeting? Can they use your pictures to generate an AI image of those you love?
I see lots of posts that it doesn’t affect you because you’re not on Google services. What about that friend who took pictures at last week’s happy hour? Grandma sharing pictures of her favorite granddaughter with her pickle ball group? Unless you’re a hermit, you can’t stop the slow trickle of your personal data being sucked up and stored for generations. It’s your data, where are the laws to protect it?
It means if you received an email saying “thanks for your purchase of a razor” you will get ads for razor blades. They’ll scan all your emails and build an “advertising profile”; similar to that Amazon thing that happened a while ago. If they know enough about you, the ads will be extremely targeted; like an automated spear phishing mounted turret that targets your most private weaknesses. Track your period in an app and they’ll sell you menstrual products on a schedule. Get a food delivery order and now they know what food you like. Email your family about an upcoming vacation and they’ll sell you plane tickets and travel insurance
I’m out. Moving my family … including my 81 year old parents to Proton. They can do it - we have already moved to signal … no issues.
Yeah I’m at that point now too. Only issue is storage. I want to move my entire Gmail inbox but it’s too big for the free plan. Might have to cough up some dough if I can’t find a better alternative.
If you don’t need it to be in a cloud/migrate to a new mailservice you could use something like Thunderbird and store it locally on your PC.
Yeah I suppose you’re right. Good call.
I think there are tools to help you clean up your mailbox
Yeah but they data mine you as they do it I think.
My biggest blocker by far in moving away, is calendars.
My family has so many interconnected calendars (I personally have 12 on my phone right now) and I still haven’t seen that anything else can do what Google does with calendars. My entire family (minus ex wife) is using Gmail on our own domain, and the ex still has r/w access to our kids’ calendars (for noting play dates, doctor’s appts, etc).
Even syncing Google with Outlook is pure hell - in both directions - and that’s before you start adding the interference from employers’ firewalls and shit.
took us awhile with the calendars (like, over a month) but we managed
Google: We would never use your Gmail to target ads. Also Google: If you voluntarily pour your Gmail into our AI blender, whatever comes out may help target ads. Technically, we’re not reading your diary. We’re just selling billboards next to the therapist’s summary of it. Privacy by wordplay is still surveillance with better PR.
Also the features you always used to use are now part of our AI system and continuing to use them counts as voluntarily agreeing to the new terms.
Makes me sick. We no longer have any right to privacy and they have no respect for ours. The entire digital landscape is becoming a liability.
Are they now just saying the quiet out loud?
More unfiltered bullshit in inbox just means the remaining people will leave Gmail
It’s almost like being allowed to move King to Checkmate or check or whatever. Chess, mofo.
Have fun. I moved to Proton years ago.
