Tue, 1 Mar 201618:30:00 GMT
Today – by regrettable oversight – I exported my entire e-mail history to Fleep, a collaboration platform used by a new client.
The mistake was all mine. I did not notice that the application was asking for permission to "manage my e-mail". But I did realize the consequences moments later when I saw how my entire contact list and complete e-mail history had been pulled into their database.
That's pretty much my entire personal correspondence for about a decade.
While I do blame Fleep for not making it crystal clear that you're not just signing up but actually handing over the records of your entire digital life, the bigger problem here lies with how Google makes this possible:
It's just too easy to give away your personal information on the internet and this needs to be fixed.
We have a similar problem with apps on mobile devices that ask for permission to access all photos in order for you to be able to select just one. I think for the most part you can trust apps to do the right thing – but the way it's currently set up, there is no transparency in what these companies do with the data you have granted them access to.
Legally, I think the EU Data Protection Directive has me covered, but once you have handed over your data to an internet company, it's really out of your control.
Big internet companies, please take privacy seriously and help your users understand the consequences of their actions.