Gmail Faces Opposition From California Senator

Google’s newly initiated email service, dubbed Gmail, may face its first piece of opposing legislation from a California senator due to its incorporation of AdWords, reported Reuters Monday. Gmail places advertisements in the personal messages of the emails following a search for keywords.

“We are asking [Google] to rethink the whole product,” Sen. Liz Figueroa (D) from Fremont reported to Reuters. “We think it’s an absolute invasion of privacy. It’s like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home.”

Figueroa, author of California’s “Do Not Call” law, once voiced her concerns of Gmail in an April 8th letter to Google. Because no reply was given she decided to take the matter into her own hands and draft the piece of legislation.

Google first scans users’ incoming emails using an automated process and then subsequently delivers targeted ads based on key words in the messages. Because of this, Figueroa feels that only advertisers would benefit from the free mail service rather than the users.

According to WebProNews, the CA senator “likened Gmail’s ad practice to having a phone conversation monitored by the phone company and subsequently being interrupted to advertise a product.”

Gmail, which is currently being tested by a limited number of users, already has its enemies both in Europe, whose privacy laws are very strict, and the United States. More than 24 privacy groups stemming from both countries are demanding that Google suspend the full-on launch of Gmail.

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