Google's Gmail Keyword Scanning May Violate Wiretap Law

Google's Gmail automatic keyword scanning might violate laws in the United States against wiretapping, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said that by automatically scanning Gmail users' emails to provide targeted ads and filter spam, Google may be in breach of Federal and California state wiretapping laws, which prohibit the unauthorized interception of communications. The decision, embedded below, came in a proposed class-action suit that several users have brought forth claiming Google wiretaps Gmail

In June, Google filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the case, arguing that the federal Wiretap Act authorizes email providers to intercept messages if it allows them to better deliver the messages or is incidental to how the service works Read more...