Google 'reveals user' over Gmail child abuse images

[dmmidmi]

I agree that it was the responsible thing for Google to do.

That being said, is it also responsible to report users who share movies and music files? Right now Google is being selective in what it reports. When does that change?

Google's actions look very conscience-based. It would take an awful lot of resources for Google to actively track down and report widespread illegal file-sharing. It looks like they determined that child pornography is clearly heinous enough to (to whatever extent) compromise user confidence in privacy, as it relates to using their products.

The best answer would be to not engage in illegal activities while using their products.

[dmmidmi]

Google is a private company. When you use Gmail, you don't really have a "right to privacy" because 1.) you are voluntarily giving up your info, and 2.) as a private company they aren't really required to give you that right.

Google did the right thing here by turning this guy in for committing a crime. That is not debatable. But the article is correct in saying that Google, a company with an extremely large presence in hundreds of millions of peoples' daily lives with access to enormous amounts of information, needs to be very, very clear in their privacy policies and what they can do with your information.

That's what I came here to say.

Sure, they did the right thing, but the amount of power Google has over the populace is disturbing. Even 40 or 50 years ago, if you had said that there would be one company with the power to peer into every piece of mail sent in the country, albeit a private company, people would still find it extremely upsetting.

Except that isn't true at all.  Most people don't use gmail.  If I send you an email address from my .mil account and to your .edu account, how and why would Google see it?

The university I attended adopted Gmail five or six years ago.