Google defends Gmail data sharing, gives few details on violations

[steven36]

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s Google gave details about its policies for third-party Gmail add-ons but stopped short of fully addressing questions from U.S. senators about developers who break its email-scanning rules.

 

How user data flows between big technology platforms such as Google and Facebook Inc and their partners has faced scrutiny around the world this year since Facebook revealed it had done little to monitor such relationships.

 

Google said in a letter to U.S. senators made public on Thursday that it relies on automated scans and reports from security researchers to monitor add-ons after launch, but did not respond to lawmakers’ request to say how many have been caught violating the company’s policies.

 

Senators may seek further clarity on Gmail’s operations at a Commerce Committee hearing about privacy practices scheduled for Sept. 26 with officials from Google, Apple Inc, AT&T Inc and Twitter Inc.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

 

Gmail users must give their consent to activate extensions, which can help them send emails on a time delay, get price-match rebates from retailers and remove unwanted mailing lists.

Under Google’s policies, software firms that create these add-ons must inform users about how they collect and share Gmail data .

 

The lawmakers’ inquiry came after the Wall Street Journal reported in July that some add-on makers did not make clear to users that their employees could review Gmail messages and that their data could be shared with additional parties.

 

Software experts told Reuters in March that auditing of apps that interact with Gmail, Facebook and other services is lax.

 

To be sure, sharing with a fourth party is essential to the functioning of some add-ons. For instance, a trip-planning app may scan a users’ email for upcoming flight details and then use the data to query an airline for updated departure information.

 

Google told senators it has suspended apps due to “a lack of transparency to users,” without identifying violators or when enforcement actions took place.

 

 

Gmail, used by 1.4 billion people, is not the only Google service drawing lawmaker questions about oversight.

 

House lawmakers asked Google in a separate letter in July whether smartphones with its voice assistant tool can or do collect so-called “non-triggered” audio in order to recognize phrases like “Okay Google” that activate voice controls.

 

The lawmakers cited media reports and said there had been suggestions that third-party applications have access to and use this non-triggered data without disclosure to users.

 

Source

[Matrix]

Don't worry, Google thoroughly vets the app developers who read your email

 

Big quote: “In some cases, employees at these app companies have read people’s actual emails in order to improve their software algorithms.” — The Wall Street Journal

After angering Congress by conspicuously not showing up for scheduled tech hearings earlier this month, Alphabet CEO Larry Page and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have agreed to attend a separate inquiry planned for next week.

In a letter made public on Thursday, Google addresses concerns made by lawmakers over the way it allows data to be collected from its users. Of particular import is the company’s allowance of third-party apps to not only scrape data from Gmail accounts but also the ability of said app owners to literally read users' emails.

“Using software tools provided by Gmail and other email services, outside app developers can access information about what products people buy, where they travel and which friends and colleagues they interact with the most,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “In some cases, employees at these app companies have read people’s actual emails in order to improve their software algorithms.”

Even though Google claims to have stopped this practice last year, Congress would still like to know why it was allowed in the first place.

Google defends its data collection position and policies claiming that it continually and thoroughly vets app developers who are granted such unrestricted access. It furthermore claims that the collection policies of the app makers must be completely transparent and the software must first ask the user for permission to collect the data.

“Developers may share data with third parties so long as they are transparent with the users about how they are using the data,” Google’s Vice President for Public Policy and Government Affairs wrote in the letter addressed to senators. “[Privacy policies must be] easily accessible to users to review before deciding whether to grant access.”

The letter is a response to questions from lawmakers that Google received back in July after the WSJ exposed the questionable practices.

The search giant’s missive provides a preview into its posture going into next weeks hearing. Clearly, Alphabet and Google executives believe they have done nothing untoward. However, I expect many on the Senate floor are going to beg to differ.

It will be interesting to see how Page and Pichai hold up under a thorough lambasting by Congress.

here