How private is your Gmail, and should you switch?

You might be surprised how much Google’s email service – and others – know
about you. Here’s how to set some boundaries
Kate O'Flaherty
Sun 9 May 2021 09.00 BST
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M ost people are aware of the cookies that track them across the web,

and the privacy-invading practices of Google search, but did you know Google’s
email service, Gmail, collects large amounts of data too?
This was recently put into stark focus for iPhone users when Gmail published its
app “privacy label” – a self-declared breakdown of the data it collects and shares
with advertisers as part of a new stipulation on the Apple App Store.
According to the label, those that grant the appropriate permission to the
iOS Gmail app can expect Google to share information including their approximate
location, user ID – an identifier used to anonymously track them – and data about
the ads they have viewed online with advertisers. More data is used for analytics –
in Google’s words, “to build better services” – including purchase history, location,
email address, photos and search history.
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Gmail is by far the most popular email service, with more than 1.5 billion active
users, compared with 400 million using Microsoft Outlook and 225 million signed
up to Yahoo Mail.

Although Google stopped scanning email content to tailor ads in 2017, last year the
company started showing shopping ads in Gmail. And it still scans emails to
facilitate so-called smart features such as the ability to add holiday bookings or
deliveries straight to your calendar, or to autocomplete suggestions.

Every way you interact with your Gmail account can be monitored, such as the
dates and times you email at, who you are talking to, and topics you choose to
email about, says Rowenna Fielding, founder of privacy consultancy Miss IG
Geek.
How Google uses your data

Much of the information collected by Gmail and shared with advertisers is

metadata – data about data. But if you carry cookies from other Google services,
your activity can be correlated or “fingerprinted” from associated products such as
Google Maps and YouTube. “Gmail becomes a window into your entire online life
because of how wide and deep their surveillance architecture goes,” Fielding says.
“Practically everything you do online will feed back to Google.”

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Google claims none of the data collected from scanning emails for purchase
information, delivery tracking numbers and flight bookings is used for advertising,
but as Andy Yen, founder and CEO of secure email service ProtonMail says: “It
remains a fact that Google keeps a record of these events and logs them
regardless.”

Part of the problem is a lack of regulatory enforcement around email data

collection and tracking. Most people are becoming aware of tracking as they visit
websites due to regulation such as the EU’s ePrivacy Directive and the General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“People are aware of cookies because of privacy and data protection law – which
states that planting trackers on your device requires your consent, and you have the
right to be told about what is happening to your data,” says Fielding. “In Europe,
those protections cover email tracking as well, but there hasn’t been much
enforcement in this area.”

Gmail v other email services

Other mainstream email providers aren’t much more private. Like Gmail,
Microsoft’s Outlook is embedded in the firm’s ecosystem and integrated with its
other services. “Any mainstream, consumer-level account is only free in that you
don’t pay it with money, but with data,” Fielding says. “Microsoft says it doesn’t
look at the content of emails in Outlook to serve you ads, but it is open about
collecting and using metadata about user activity across all of its services for
advertising.”

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Gmail is also the most hefty data collector, says Yen. He says the iOS privacy
labels illustrate the “stark difference” in approach to data collection between the
Gmail app and other email providers. “Outlook and Yahoo gather far more than
they need, but even they don’t go as far as Gmail by collecting location data and
purchase history.”

It’s often said by privacy experts that if you don’t pay for the product, you are the
product, and when it comes to Google this is “undeniably the case”, says Yen.
“Google’s business model is based on monetising the data it gathers from users,
predominantly to sell it to Google’s real customers – advertisers… Gmail forms one
part of that data-gathering infrastructure.”

Yet while it’s true that Google is absorbing your data, Jon Callas, director of
technology projects at the US-based privacy advocate Electronic Frontier
Foundation, says the most invasive tracking comes via email marketers, not the
service providers. “Here, since Google is one of the world’s biggest advertising
companies, it is intimately involved no matter what email service you use.”

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These types of emails – from businesses offering products and services – can be
monitored by the sender, whether you knowingly signed up or not. Data sent back
to email marketers includes whether you’ve opened the email, how long for, and
which links you’ve clicked on.

Callas explains: “When you load pictures remotely, the people who sent the email
learn that you read the message, the time you read it, and an approximation of
where you are via your network address.”

Often these “pictures” consist of a single pixel and are invisible to the naked eye.
Callas says the best way to protect yourself against this stealthy type of tracking is
to set your email so it does not load pictures or remote content by default.

Lock down your Gmail, or choose a privacy-focused alternative

The other problem with Gmail and services like it, according to privacy advocates,
is a lack of end-to-end encryption. This gold-standard level of security protection,
used by secure messaging apps such as Signal and WhatsApp as well as email
services including ProtonMail and Hushmail, means no one can access the content
of your emails, even the provider. It also gives you the reassurance that the email
service can’t sell your data to advertisers.

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But this level of security and privacy often comes at the expense of the
functionality people are accustomed to in Gmail, such as integration with apps
including Google Calendar.

Yet some experts question whether end-to-end encryption is necessary for email,
when apps such as WhatsApp and Signal can be used for private and convenient
communication. And as Callas says: “The ProtonMail service is encrypted, but for
this to be effective, both parties need to be using some form of encrypted email.”

So, do you need to ditch Gmail? If much of the above sounds messy and leaky, you
could consider a provider such as ProtonMail to email others using a similarly
protected service, or Signal, which ensures the communication is end-to-end
encrypted on both sides.

And if you are unconcerned about Google’s data-slurping habits, you may revise
your opinion after using its privacy checkup function to review the tranche of data
it holds about you. There are, however, lots of options to restrict the data that their
services collect about you. In addition, Fielding recommends blocking online
trackers across other Google services with tools including Privacy Badger or
Ghostery.
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If you have an iPhone, it’s possible to lock down Gmail even further by avoiding
Google’s app and sticking to Apple’s own Mail client, or by opening your email via
the Safari browser.

Although this might not offer the same level of functionality, Fielding says: “Using
Apple Mail is an incremental improvement on using the Gmail app, because
Apple’s business model is not as heavily dependent on data and ad tech as
Google’s.”

Pros of Online Shopping

Hassle-Free Sales
Googling for deals is undoubtedly one of e-commerce’s biggest perks: You avoid
sometimes-pushy salespeople and crowds, all from the comfort of your couch. Plus, it’s
easier to browse the latest sales all at once rather than pushing through racks.

Product Reviews
Online reviews make it easy to get insider information on the product or shop you’re
interested in. Clothing rental service Nuuly, for example, lets its customers add photos of
themselves wearing products to written reviews, enabling future customers to make
empowered, smart purchasing decisions.4  It’s beneficial for small businesses, too. Eighty-
seven percent of consumers read online reviews of local businesses, according to marketing
consultancy BrightLocal’s 2020 Local Consumer Review Survey.5
Free Shipping
When applicable, free shipping is a key driver for online purchases. Free shipping leads to
more sales, according to a recent survey conducted by Austin, Texas-based BigCommerce.
Eighty-four percent of respondents reported specifically making a purchase because free
shipping was offered, and 77% of consumers said they have abandoned a purchase as a
result of “unsatisfactory” shipping options.6  Amazon Prime is an appealing service for many
due to its guaranteed free, two-day shipping.7

Cons of Online Shopping

Return Fees
Many return policies often require you to pay for refund and restocking fees, even for
defective items, according to Michelle Madhok, online shopping expert and founder of online
deals publication, SHEFinds Media. If a company does not provide you with a return
shipment label, you will have to pay out of pocket for the expenses at a postal service. 

When using a credit card to make online purchases, keep track of your spending. By
consistently reviewing your monthly statement and maintaining your receipts, you’ll
be able to better monitor your spending habits, and also be aware of potential fraud
or mischarges. 
Sales Tax and Other Fees
Be prepared to pay for convenience. Not all products purchased online are taxable, but
items like jewelry and clothing generally are. Plus, international and interstate shipping
charges can make purchases more pricey. When you make a purchase from Etsy—the
popular e-commerce website for makers and creators across the globe—for example, sellers
have to pay a 5% transaction fee that they may add into the price of the item you
purchased.8  

Higher Chance of Fraud

Beware of sites that request more personal information than just your name, address, and
credit card number. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there were 4.8
million identify theft and fraud reports in 2020, most of which occurred online.9  If an online
site asks for something like your social security number or bank account number, that’s
typically a red flag that where you’re shopping from is not trustworthy and you may be
a victim of fraud.  X

Millennials, or those in their high 20s and 30s, are 25% more likely to lose money as
a result of online fraud than those 40 or older, while people over age 40 are more
likely to lose larger sums of money when they are targeted with phone and tech
support scams.1 0
Tips for Making the Most of Online Shopping
Online shopping thrives off the desire for convenience, but it can often be overshadowed by
the faults. To ensure your experience with e-commerce is a positive one, consider the
following actions. 

Buy Direct
One of the downsides of not visiting a store in person is that you build a digital rapport with a
business instead of having an in-person experience with shop owners. Because of this, it’s
important to know who you are buying from and to identify all of the necessary details
surrounding the product you want to purchase. 
No matter which service you use, read the fine print to be aware of return policies, taxes,
and any other fees. Often, if you buy direct instead of going through a third-party source, you
can reduce the cost of additional fees. 

Protect Yourself from Fraud

If you suspect suspicious activity on your account, first check in with your bank to verify it.
Next, contact the FTC, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), or your state’s consumer
protection agency to file a complaint. Madhok recommends always paying by credit
card online, as credit card’s often provide zero-liability policies that don’t hold you
responsible for most fraudulent charges. X