14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft goes on with its Scroogled campaign aimed at long-time rival Google, saying that the search company might be breaking wiretap laws with its email service.
“Is Google breaking wiretap laws when they read your Gmail?” the Scroogled page now reads, while also adding that “a federal judge ruled they could be.”
“Google goes through every Gmail that's sent or received, looking for keywords so they can target Gmail users with paid ads. And there's no way to opt out of this invasion of your privacy,” it also adds.
This isn’t the first time when Microsoft claims that Google is reading Gmail users’ messages, but the campaign seems to get a bit more serious with the launch of a dedicated website supposed to emphasize that the Mountain View-based company does not respect privacy.
At the same time, Redmond released a PDF document to show how Gmail uses the content of the email to display ads, while also showcasing the results of a study emphasizing that consumers are not aware of such tactics implemented to deliver ads to their inboxes.
“64% of British people are unaware whether any major email service provider scans the content of personal emails in order to target ads,” the survey states, while explaining that “84% of British people agree that email service providers should not be allowed to scan the content of personal emails in order to target ads.”
The new Microsoft website, keepyouremailprivate.com, states that non-Gmail users are affected too, as all the emails they send to someone with a Google account are automatically scanned when they reach the destination.
“And if you’re not a Gmail user but have at some point sent an email to someone that uses Gmail, Google has scanned your message, extracted keywords, and used that data to serve ads to the recipient of your email,” it says.
Of course, it all comes down to Outlook.com, with Microsoft bragging about the way it handles privacy and explaining that users’ messages are safe and secure once they register for an account.