Curiosity

[lnr]

[Poll #872554]

Feel free to answer anonymously in comments if you don't have a livejournal, or don't want me to know your answers. I don't log IPs.

Comments

[damerell.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bit unfortunate that lnr has put up this poll without any indication of _why_ people might think Gmail's evil and not want to use it.

It's apparent that the average Gmail user just doesn't know, for example, that the T&Cs say they'll give all your email to the Chinese government if the Chinese ask nicely.

[pir.livejournal.com]

The company, as any other, has to abide by the laws in all the countries it operates in...

[damerell.livejournal.com]

That would certainly be a reason to keep your email somewhere with no presence in China, yes... and they don't _even say_ "in accordance with the law". "Ask nicely" is a pretty accurate summary.

[pir.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for policy but I'd suggest looking at what various free mail and websearch companies have done in practice when asked for things by governments, which ones have given up informationand which ones have fought it in the courts.

Personally the US government concerns me more than China.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Not to just C&P the gmail rant, but "Note that the much-publicised recent case of Google fighting a US government request for web search data seems to me to be a case of Google wanting to avoid the government getting Google's core business products for free via subpoena, rather than a case where Google was motivated by privacy concerns."

If Google will only comply with explicit legal requirements, the T&Cs should say so.

The US worries me too, but then I don't keep my email in the US either, and there isn't so obvious a case of Google doing whatever the US government wants as there is with China.

[pir.livejournal.com]

Like I said, I can't (not won't, can't) speak for company policy *shrug*

[lnr]

Well mostly it's because I was actually curious what people think *now* rather than what they might think if told more things.

[reddragdiva]

Checking the other place, I think we may just become enlightened.