How Private and Secure is Google Email?

Filed under: Privacy » Online,

Just How Secure Is Your Personal Data with Google Apps Email?

Email Privacy Google Apps is growing day by day, and recently - they've unveiled a "Premium" business version of their popular Gmail email software that will allow you to use any email address (ie. those associated with your own domain name or business) with their popular email hosting platform. The question that arises is - how private is your sensitive email data?

As it turns out, not so much...

Google Apps Email Inbox Controversy

In a recent bug that sprung up during the switchover of Brown University's email accounts from self-hosted (email accounts hosted at the school) to Google-hosted (hosted by Google Apps), students all of a sudden had access to each other's email inboxes. According to reports, on 9/11/09, a couple Brown students notified their CIS (Computing and Information Services) department that they were receiving emails belonging to other students.

The next day, Brown's CIS department sent out an email to the 200 students whose mailboxes were being transitioned to the new Google Apps email system, asking them whether they were seeing emails in the inboxes that did not belong to them. Some were, and some could even see the entire inbox of other students.

Brown contacted Google to resolve the issue. It reportedly took Google 3 - 5 days to resolve the problem and ultimately, close the affected accounts.

Emails Contain Highly Sensitive Data

Your email inbox typically contains some of your most personal and sensitive data. So it's important that you place your email hosting in the hands of someone you trust. To this day, we've been using Rackspace's dedicated email hosting service, without running into any privacy issues. It may cost a bit more than Google apps, but in return we also get stellar technical and phone support, and a dedicated IP reputation and management team, that helps ensure our emails get to their destination.

Who Is Your Email Provider?

We're always in search of the newest and best email hosting providers out there. So we're curious as to who you use, why, how long have you been with them, what's your experience so far, and would you recommend them to other PIP community readers? Please comment below with your thoughts and suggestions!

View Comments

Google Gmail privacy

Submitted by Anchoveta on January 23, 2012 - 2:11pm.

Nothing is really secure/private on the internet. We are always looking for the best service that will provide us with the most security/privacy, but still someone controls those services. And the information that we recieve or send has to go through a third party before it reaches its destination. So is no surprise that gmail isn't as private as it says it is.

Google Gmail privacy

Submitted by a seeker of security on January 23, 2012 - 2:10pm.

Nothing is really secure/private on the Internet. We are always looking for the best service that will provide us with the most security/privacy, but still someone controls those services. And the information that we receive or send has to go through a third party before it reaches its destination. So is no surprise that Gmail isn't as private as it says it is.

Gmail privacy

Submitted by a seeker of security on June 15, 2011 - 3:05am.

Gmail, and any Google or Facebook product for that matter, enjoy little to no privacy if someone really wants to get at your data. Your better off registering a domain name for $10/ year, a hosting account for $5/ month, and setting up your own email address that you have full control over.

Google Privacy

Submitted by a seeker of security on April 16, 2011 - 1:27pm.

I wouldn't trust Google as far as I could throw them when it comes to privacy. But then again, that's how they're making the big $$ now (cough, tracking cookies, cough).

Interestingly, I recently got an invite to tell my "Adsense" (their Publisher online revenue program - ie. make money with ads on your site) story in Washington D.C., and they mentioned "pending litigation" being considered by Congress that's worrying them. Sure, I'll lobby for you Google. Smart, if they can get an army of people up there. I'm surprised they're not springing for hotel costs, given how important this is to them...