I’m a user of AOL email. Received an upgraded “user agreement” today that I’m supposed to click “accept” on. But, I can’t believe my eyes with the following clause as it pertains to “analyzing” users’ email content.
“We’ve updated how we collect and use data. We’ve updated some of the ways we collect and analyze user data in order to deliver services, content, and relevant advertising to you and protect against abuse.
This includes: Analyzing content and information (including emails, instant messages, posts, photos, attachments, and other communications) when you use our services.This allows us to deliver, personalize and develop relevant features, content, advertising and services Linking your activity on third-party sites and apps with information we have about you ...” Is this legal? (Maybe I really did just fall off the turnip truck.).
PS: Guess I’ll start using gmail for my most sensitive communications. Are they any safer?
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The same sort of agreement goes for Yahoo. I wouldn't be surprised to see it show up on Verizon accounts at some point. Verizon owns them all.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/14/17237864/oath-aol-yahoo-email-privacy-terms-scan-ads
Regarding gmail, the article above says that gmail has ceased using email content for targeting ads, but doesn't say anything about it not reading/analyzing your email for any other purpose. All I've been able to find on gmail (aside from the ability to opt out of targeted ads) is: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en#infocollect
If you want to have a higher degree of 'security' or 'privacy' you either need to run your own mail server (which I used to do) or pay for a service that respects its users. Geek that I am, I gave up that role and happily pay a few bucks/mo for rock-solid, spam-free, non-content-scanning, zero advertising email experiences.
It would depend on your Terms of Service with ATT, and then whatever contractual agreement ATT has with Yahoo. So yeah, it may well not make a difference. :/
No?
Then who believes individual employees at your email service provider and are not reading your emails?
Anything that is FREE has a PRICE, which basically means it is not FREE.
Individually, no, they're not. But they are when their emails can be scanned and content keywords can be used to sell targetted advertising against them. $$$$$$$$ !!!
The one thing I’m a bit concerned about is that I use one data app across several devices. It allows me to make a backup file and email the file to myself for downloading to all the other devices. Keeps all the devices current. I’ve also been storing the most recent file in my email in case a device crashed while away and it became necessary to do a restore. Conceivably, someone who is able to “snatch” that entire data file from my email would be able to run it on the same app.
@msf - Thank you. I’d be happy to pay for a more secure email provider. I’ll certainly look into that.
https://techradar.com/news/best-email-client
I went with Pobox/FastMail and recommend them completely. I took their high-end $50/yr package and am very pleased w/ther rather excellent service/features. IMAP lets me have my mail sync'd across all devices easily, so it makes it easy to have things 'backed up' ... I should add that the other day I accidentally deleted the wrong folder of archived mail, but the PoBox Mailstore accounts let me 'undelete' the folder within a few days -- I was VERY HAPPY at that.
Oh .... I use the basic free OSX Apple Mail Client as my all-in-one client for campus and personal email, fwiw saying. (PostBox is a good alternative, too.)