Another obstacle to Google's ascendancy is the company's own privacy and usage policies: "All this assumes that people will trust Google with their data, of course. That's yet to be proven," Sullivan said. Even though the Gmail is not yet available, "consumer watchdogs are attacking it as a creepy invasion of privacy that threatens to set a troubling precedent," the AP wrote. Critics are pressuring Google to "drop its plans to electronically scan e-mail content so it can distribute relevant ads alongside incoming messages." Another policy being criticized permits Google to retain copies of people's e-mails even after the users' close their accounts. . . .
Another obstacle to Google's ascendancy is the company's own privacy and usage policies: "All this assumes that people will trust Google with their data, of course. That's yet to be proven," Sullivan said.

Even though the Gmail is not yet available, "consumer watchdogs are attacking it as a creepy invasion of privacy that threatens to set a troubling precedent," the AP wrote. Critics are pressuring Google to "drop its plans to electronically scan e-mail content so it can distribute relevant ads alongside incoming messages." Another policy being criticized permits Google to retain copies of people's e-mails even after the users' close their accounts.

Gartner recommended that enterprises avoid using Gmail for the same reason Gartner recommends enterprises avoid all web-based e-mail services: the service isn't under the enterprise's control. "Enterprises should steer clear of Gmail, and all other free Web-based mail services, the Gartner analysts added, because they lack the kind of management tools and security demanded by business."

John Gilmore, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that Google's proposed Gmail terms of service don't just "restate the law. They sweep it aside.... You agree to accept any future changes to the terms or policies. Any. If you don't agree NOW to all future changes, you can't ever use the service, even now under the current terms."

Google can investigate your use of the service and access and disclose your information in compliance with any government request, no subpoena or court order necessary, Gilmore said.

Users, meanwhile, are forbidden from extracting copies of their own e-mail from the service, he said.

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