Microsoft's Ballmer: Google Reads Your Mail

Anonymous writes "A piece of video has emerged in which Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says of Google, 'they read your mail and we don't.' Evidently, it was part of a lengthy discussion on the future of the software business model, and whether advertising could support free consumer software. Ballmer said it doesn't work, at least when it comes to email. '"That's just a factual statement, not even to be pejorative. The theory was if we read your mail, if somebody read your mail, they would know what to talk to you about. It's not working out as brilliantly as the concept was laid out." Ballmer isn't the first to fire salvos at Google's Gmail privacy policy. Privacy advocates have been critical over the policy almost since the beginning, but the popularity of the service has skyrocketed nonetheless.'"

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[Noryungi]

It's official... Google reads your email! Be afraid! Be VERY afraid! It must be true, because Steve Ballmer of Microsoft says so, and we all know how decent Steve is!

Ahem.

Excuse me, I got carried away here for just a second. :-)

By the way, if you don't want anyone to read your email, don't use gmail, hotmail or yahoo mail... But do use GPG and a local email client, other than Outlook... mmmmmkay?

I knew it

[jsse]

Ballmer says of Google, 'they read your mail and we don't.'

Now I know why you don't respond to my comments and complains, you just simply don't read them at all.

Your honesty as a corporate leader shines us all.

Re:Okay, and?

[darthflo]

So... If this access is secret, how exactly do you know of it?

("Sometimes I wish the government would actually kill conspiracy theorists, even if it were just to prove them right")

The full quote...

[darthflo]

The video mentioned in TFS is, of course, a fake. The actual quote was this: Ballmer: [...] they read your mail and we don't, but our Developers, Developers, Developers are working on that! Developers, Developers, Developers...

After a few minutes of his "developers" chant, Ballmer was reported as throwing chairs at every googly seeming person in the room.

Re:Yeah!

[gbobeck]

I for one salute our new Google overlords!

Well, at least we know they will know where to search for us!

Re:What a crock

[Aqua OS X]

It's also worth noting that Hotmail doesn't send or receive many of its messages. Microsoft is going that extra mile by making sure that we also don't read our email.

Re:What a crock

[noidentity]

I'm a robot, and reading data IS mining to me, you insensitive clod!

Re:What a crock

[somersault]

Everyone knows that Microsoft doesn't do open source >.> *ba doom tish*

Please quote completely

[Opportunist]

I hate people who quote out of context. At least be complete.

they read your mail and we don't ...have to because we know everything we want to know about you through the phoning home of our OS.

Ballmers Proof

[PinkyDead]

Pretty damning evidence:

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Re: Reading user's gmail

Eric,

Sounds like a great idea.

S.

Re:What a crock

[ThirdPrize]

Can I recommend the following item [zapatopi.net] for you as well. I hear it stops M$ and Google reading your thoughts as well.

BadAnalogyMan says...

[adnonsense]

This is like a ginormous soot-stained, pitted, dented and immobile pot which has been simmering for the last twenty-five years calling the nearby, newish and rapidly expanding kettle made from stainless steel which is now somewhat more rusty than it was in 1998, black.

BTW Google reads your slashdot comments too.

Steve:

[xrayspx]

It's not that we love Google reading our mail, it's that we just don't like you.

Sincerely,

The Internet