Tampons, Google and privacy
So I'm reading all of this stuff on ABCnews.com (from AP) about how Google will be “reading” e-mail to serve ads and that it's bad, immoral and will lead to the spread of Ebola or something. Wow do people need to get a grip.
You know, my mail server reads my clients' e-mail all of the time for the purpose of weeding out spam. Come to think of it, so do the other free e-mail services. But now, it's bad because the same process is being used to serve relevant ads to you. Huh. I'm not seeing the connection there to how this will contribute to the fall of Western Society.
Have you watched TV lately? Probably, I should think. I've seen a lot of tampon commercials. I've seen a lot of pad spots too (with wings). The funny thing is that I have wrinklies, and as such have no need for these feminine products. The advertiser has wasted money on pitching a product that I don't need or want, and all I get out of it is an opportunity to make jokes about it on my blog.
To date, Google has offered advertising that is relevant in the context of the content you're viewing. It's pretty cool when I look at, say, a motherboard review, and the ad has links to a vendor that has it at low, low prices. Very convenient. Sure beats the tampon ad. In fact, advertising isn't that evil when it sells something that appeals to me. I like to buy stuff. Who doesn't?
The application of the same concept to my e-mail isn't offensive to me (though I can see already that, the way my friends think, I'll get a lot of sex ads, assuming Google allows them). I'm guessing that Google isn't going to ask me for my social security number or my address, so even if they profile “me” via e-mail, a la Doubleclick back in the day, who cares? There is no human intervention, and it's not like someone is gonna stop me at the mall and say, “Hey, you and your friends have a dirty mind. By the way, did Amazon handle that return adequately for you?” No person at Google is going to say, “We've got that Jeff Putz guy now! We'll expose him as a pervert and frequent Amazon merchandise returner!“
People get all freaked out by the most ridiculous things.