GMail will use your data to train AI (ie. read all your private emails)

[Glow_worm]

I often wonder why people make such a big deal of online privacy, we'll all be dead and gone in a few years, why do we care so much that marketing profiles are set up, that our phone mics or cameras may be being used, that Google are using our emails to train AI models? I couldn't care less.

I'm 40 years off retirement age and can quite easily visualise remaining alive in a warped twisted future of ever decreasing liberties. Those with children might also have some concerns about what they will have to live through too.

I therefore fight it and take every action possible to make it harder for governments/corporations. I disagree with the often touted opinion of 'oh well if you use the internet you have no privacy anyway' as there are plenty of simple positive actions one can take while accepting the bare minimum big brother possible as a price for a useful tool.

Sadly for every one like me there will be plenty who don't care or won't be around long enough to be affected, so will just accept every intrusion, put up with introduction of digital ID without fuss etc.

 

[Pattree]

 

[Chris]

I often wonder why people make such a big deal of online privacy, we'll all be dead and gone in a few years, why do we care so much that marketing profiles are set up, that our phone mics or cameras may be being used, that Google are using our emails to train AI models? I couldn't care less.

That's fine for you then, but other people are allowed to care about it if it's important to them. All part of living in a world with people who value different things. Would you stick your credit card details up in the front window of your house? Do you have locks on the doors/windows? Do you lock the car if you leave it in the city somewhere? Would you tell random strangers your private medical/personal/financial details if they come and ask for them? That you don't care about privacy at all seems unlikely.

I'd argue that putting information which could be used by criminals to steal your identity/money/other things into an LLM is an incredibly unsafe idea, but then again I've done a lot of work in cyber security and therefore am aware of the risks posed that a lot of people remain blissfully unaware of.

 

[Glow_worm]

Reckon a 12 bore would be a better option than a gesture.

On another train of thought, I found it odd as a child that older people were allowed to vote and have opinions, given they wouldn't be around to have to live through the consequences...

 

[TeeDee]

Reckon a 12 bore would be a better option than a gesture.

On another train of thought, I found it odd as a child that older people were allowed to vote and have opinions, given they wouldn't be around to have to live through the consequences...

You could apply that line of thinking to anything however. A long life at any age isn't a guarantee.

At what age would you suggest restricting the elderly to voting privileges???

 

[demented dale]

I do the first, but I'm so uninterested in internets/computers that I use gmail and I can't be bothered to change. Due to your comment I'm now dimly aware there might be something better but I'm not going to act any further

I use protonmail and tutanona both safe and encrypted. The only thing we can do is boycott google. I do not have any google on anything as far as I am aware. I am now not sure if i even want people emailing me from a gmail account in case AI reads the reply. Glow worm best to ditch them, You will feell better and be helpng in a small way. DD xxxxx

 

[Glow_worm]

At what age would you suggest restricting the elderly to voting privileges???

Quite the poser. Young people have little worldly experience so their views are null and void, likewise older people with a lifetime of experience of a world which no longer exists.

 

[Glow_worm]

Glow worm best to ditch them, You will feell better and be helpng in a small way. DD xxxxx

Ok you've talked me into it. One rainy day!

I do use Proton free VPN- a near neighbour and I agreed we'd both get a VPN to add to the statistics when the ill thought out online safety thingy was passed.

Disliking computers and being a bit shaky with them, she got her 9 year old daughter to download and install it for her.... you couldn't make it up!

 

[Nice65]

That's fine for you then, but other people are allowed to care about it if it's important to them. All part of living in a world with people who value different things. Would you stick your credit card details up in the front window of your house? Do you have locks on the doors/windows? Do you lock the car if you leave it in the city somewhere? Would you tell random strangers your private medical/personal/financial details if they come and ask for them? That you don't care about privacy at all seems unlikely.

That takes it all out of context and is for the most part completely irrelevant, condescending, and a personal attack. Don't get stroppy with me mate. The first sentence I agree with entirely.

 

[Nice65]

I'm 40 years off retirement age and can quite easily visualise remaining alive in a warped twisted future of ever decreasing liberties. Those with children might also have some concerns about what they will have to live through too.

I'm 5 years off retirement age and the children and many adults today have no idea of the liberties already taken from them. It frightens me what is accepted without question, me worrying about it isn't going to change anything so I choose not to worry about things that I have no control over, nor do I wish to have any control over.

 

[Chris]

That takes it all out of context and is for the most part completely irrelevant, condescending, and a personal attack. Don't get stroppy with me mate. The first sentence I agree with entirely.

It wasn’t intended or written in a strop or even remotely intended as a personal attack at all, I do apologise if it came across that way. Rather taken aback actually as I was just trying to contextualise (it really isn’t out of context) why it’s an important topic and something worth caring about.

Is it possible you’ve read it in a stroppy tone that wasn’t intended? Genuinely baffled how any of it could be seen as a personal attack.

 

[Broch]

To be honest Chris, it did sound rather stroppy

 

[Chris]

If that’s the case, it genuinely wasn’t the intention and I apologise.

The key message I am trying to convey is that giving LLMs access to your personal data is putting your personal data into the hands of anyone in the world with access to the LLM trained on that data. It’s fair to say we all care about privacy to some extent, and I worry that when it comes to this (still poorly understood) new technology, people will miss their opportunity to maintain it due to not being aware of the risk it poses. It really is equivalent to putting your personal data in your front window.

 

[Glow_worm]

me worrying about it isn't going to change anything so I choose not to worry about things that I have no control over, nor do I wish to have any control over.

But this thread was about something you can have control over, by taking a quick simple action with no worrying involved. That's why I made comments about defeatist attitudes, I for one appreciate such a heads-up.

 

[Pattree]

I’m over a decade into my retirement and I read it as a generalisation that people like me do not care about the world that they will leave behind.
I have nine grandchildren!
However, I have never thought of myself as anyone who might fit into a generalisation so it didn’t particularly wrankle.

I understand the concerns being expressed here but I also know that it is far far too late to worry about it. If someone wanted to steal my identity they could have done it twenty years ago. It’s just easier now.

How many of us have made an on line or telephone purchase giving our debit card details and three digit security number.

If you are looking at this post then (at least should a state be interested) you have left an open door to your life.

The only defence,
That makes any sense,
Is to act on the fact,
That there is no defence.

Piet Hein​

 

[Great egret]

I often wonder why people make such a big deal of online privacy, we'll all be dead and gone in a few years, why do we care so much that marketing profiles are set up, that our phone mics or cameras may be being used, that Google are using our emails to train AI models? I couldn't care less.

Marketing is not the big problem. On a larger scale data is used to disrupt elections, keep information away from people, have military insight, traffic movement, sold to banks, used by criminals, etc...

 

[Chris]

I’m over a decade into my retirement and I read it as a generalisation that people like me do not care about the world that they will leave behind.
I have nine grandchildren!
However, I have never thought of myself as anyone who might fit into a generalisation so it didn’t particularly wrankle.

I understand the concerns being expressed here but I also know that it is far far too late to worry about it. If someone wanted to steal my identity they could have done it twenty years ago. It’s just easier now.

How many of us have made an on line or telephone purchase giving our debit card details and three digit security number.

If you are looking at this post then (at least should a state be interested) you have left an open door to your life.

The only defence,
That makes any sense,
Is to act on the fact,
That there is no defence.

Piet Hein​

But forgetting to lock your front door once does not mean there’s no point in ever locking your front door again.

The difference here is scale. We are talking giving your details to a fairly limited number of potential bad actors, to giving it to billions of potential bad actors.

It really isn’t too late to worry about it. The best time to worry about it was indeed yesterday, but the second best time is today.

 

[HorseGuy]

I do use Proton free VPN- a near neighbour and I agreed we'd both get a VPN to add to the statistics when the ill thought out online safety thingy was passed.

Disliking computers and being a bit shaky with them, she got her 9 year old daughter to download and install it for her.... you couldn't make it up!

But... but... they said it was introduced to protect the children.
That couldn't have been a lie surely? I'm shocked!

 

[Furbles]

I haven't used Gmail for years, with the privacy concerns attached to their ads (i.e. already reading our emails).

I highly recommend Fastmail for fast, secure personal email.

 

[Gabri]

I used to think privacy issues online were just overblown until I started reading more about how much of our data ends up in places we don’t expect. Even though I’m not super paranoid, I still take a few simple steps like using encrypted email and a VPN, because it just feels better knowing I’m at least trying to keep some control. I do agree that a lot of people act like nothing can be done, but I find it’s actually pretty easy to change a few habits without stressing about it too much. I got interested in what real privacy options are out there and came across this device called orb that promises to verify your identity without tracking or keeping your data. Makes me think there are companies trying to do privacy differently instead of just collecting more info.