Google’s updated terms of service, aimed at providing a legal loophole to allow them to crawl through their user’s emails, has been firmly rejected as a practice by online IT security company MailGuard.
Earlier this week, Google changed their terms of service, admitting to customers that their systems will scan the contents of their email to feed the advertising and search arms of the tech giant.
Global business MailGuard, an Australian owned and operated SaaS company, believes this is a breach of trust for an email provider.
“We don’t scan our client’s emails for anything but spam and viruses, or to prevent protected information from leaving a business,” says MailGuard CEO Craig McDonald. “We have no other vested interests in reviewing our client’s email, we only have our client’s interests at heart” says McDonald.
With clients in the health, finance and legal industries, McDonald says privacy is of the utmost importance for MailGuard customers.
“We certainly know that sensitive and personal information is exchanged via email and online forms these days, and I know I wouldn’t want my private information scanned or seen by anyone other than the intended recipient,” McDonald says.
Businesses are encouraged to read the terms of service issued by their email hosting and security provider and seek alternatives if they are not satisfied.
“Even if it is free, staying with a provider that leaves your business or customers open to email disclosure can cost a company a lot more in the long run than implementing a safer alternative” McDonald warns.
