It’s a grey area but the fact that your ISP/web-host isn’t scanning your email (like you say) and also the fact that you are contracting them financially to provide you a business service probably makes it less difficult to prove that you haven’t broken your NDA.

I guess you could argue that many ISP ’scan’ your e-mail for viruses and spam in a similar way. I agree that paying for a service feels a little more comfortable though.

Presumably Google have some kind of proceedures to stop any old Google employee from reading anyone else’s e-mail – but I guess at least some of the employees must have access.

Frankie

O.T Ben did you get my email regarding volunteering for barcamp? I have no trust in email’s being delivered

Is using gmail, as they scan you email, a breach of hte NDA ?

Sort of. In an NDA you generally agree not to divulge, furnish or distribute said material to a third party. Technically you are divulging a copy of the data to Google so that’s where the issue is.

Critics might say that if you store the same data in an email account you are equally divulging the data to your ISP/web-host instead.

It’s a grey area but the fact that your ISP/web-host isn’t scanning your email (like you say) and also the fact that you are contracting them financially to provide you a business service probably makes it less difficult to prove that you haven’t broken your NDA.

Finally, don’t forget that in the industry I work in, some of our clients might be rivals to Google and as such not want their plans, contracts, etc in the hands of Google.

Also, don’t forget that even if Google’s privacy Ts&Cs say they won’t read your email, there is nothing to stop a disgruntled Google employee from accessing your mail even though they are not authorised to do so.

Risky…but funny. You gotta give them a little credit for having a sense of humor and taking a risk.