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Apple and Google, Like Microsoft, Reserve Right to Read Customer Emails

Friday March 21, 2014 2:36 pm PDT by Juli Clover
mailicon.jpgApple, Yahoo, and Google all have terms of service that allow them to read users' emails if necessary, according to research done by The Guardian. Apple's iCloud Terms and Conditions includes a clause that gives Apple permission to disclose Account information and Content, including iCloud email, when necessary by law, to address security, fraud, or technical issues, or to protect the rights and property of Apple.
You acknowledge and agree that Apple may, without liability to you, access, use, preserve and/or disclose your Account information and Content to law enforcement authorities, government officials, and/or a third party, as Apple believes is reasonably necessary or appropriate, if legally required to do so or if we have a good faith belief that such access, use, disclosure, or preservation is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process or request; (b) enforce this Agreement, including investigation of any potential violation thereof; (c) detect, prevent or otherwise address security, fraud or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property or safety of Apple, its users, a third party, or the public as required or permitted by law.
Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft's terms of service all contain similar wording granting the technology companies unfettered access to content. The Guardian initially began investigating the rights of major companies to access user email after Microsoft looked through the personal Hotmail account of a blogger in order to discover the source of a Windows 8 leak.

Microsoft employee Alex Kibkalo was found sending a tech blogger parts of Windows 8 code back in 2012, allowing the blogger to access screenshots of the operating system, which were then posted online. Microsoft fired Kibkalo, but its methods of discovery were questioned, prompting the company to make a statement on its investigation policies, pledging not to read customer emails except in circumstances where a court order would be justified and vowing to announce such searches in its bi-annual transparency report.

While it is Microsoft that's under fire for reading the email of its users, as mentioned above, Apple, Google, and Yahoo have the same rights to access content under questionable conditions. Apple does not mention whether or not it accesses iCloud email for non-security reasons in its own transparency reports and it is unclear whether the company has accessed private content in the search for leaks.

Apple is a notoriously secretive company, however, going to great lengths to protect its upcoming products. According to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, product secrecy is one of the specific tenets that has been responsible for Apple's success, and in 2012, Tim Cook said the company would "double down on secrecy on products."

Nevertheless, Apple has had a hard time keeping leaks under wraps. The iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c were both unveiled long before their release, and more recently, some significant iOS 8 leaks have come to light.

Apple and Google both opted not to comment to The Guardian on the clauses in their Terms of Services, but all customers opt-in to possible searches when signing up for an email account with either company.

[ 136 comments ]


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theheadguy
64 months ago

I have nothing to hide, and no legal reasons for them to read mine anyway. But of course people are going to get paranoid and freak out :rolleyes:

Obviously. If this is news to you, then get off the net. Go write your letters, because the post office can't open those right?

MacRumors; are you frik'n kidding me?? This has been the case since the invention of "email".

Who cares? You cannot live your life in constant paranoia.

Where is the problem?


What's hilarious is the lemmings who don't want any privacy. Just because you have nothing of interest to others doesn't mean I want my privacy invaded, or that of my friends, or my family's.

Rating: 20 Votes
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bushido
64 months ago
how is that even legal? if my landlord were to put a clause in the contract to search my flat while i am gone it wouldnt mean a thing even if i signed it cuz its simply not allowed

and to the people saying "who cares" ugh ... its the first step into what SciFi movies r made off. reporter finds something out about xy - police state is going to delete all traces of it in the name of "national security". just take a look at Turkey

"busted for corruption. lol lets take down twitter"
Rating: 20 Votes
Avatar
bbbb4b
64 months ago
MacRumors; are you frik'n kidding me?? This has been the case since the invention of "email".

----------

Meanwhile, in other news:

If police suspect you of a crime, they can actually arrest you. :eek:
Rating: 13 Votes
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Risco
64 months ago
Who cares? You cannot live your life in constant paranoia.
Rating: 12 Votes
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ZacNicholson
64 months ago
i don't care if they see mine. they will just see "newly single girls in my area DTF" spam messages
Rating: 11 Votes
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Klae17
64 months ago
Obviously. If this is news to you, then get off the net. Go write your letters, because the post office can't open those right?
Rating: 9 Votes
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LostSoul80
64 months ago
If Samsung had something similar, general madness and desperation would be all over.

But hey, it's Apple. All cool.

:rolleyes:
Rating: 9 Votes
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theheadguy
64 months ago

Obviously. If this is news to you, then get off the net. Go write your letters, because the post office can't open those right?

Based on your sarcasm you probably don't realize that letters sent via USPS do have more legal protection than e-mail.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Ichabod.
64 months ago
If you read the EULA you'll find that they reserve the right to do plenty of things...
Rating: 6 Votes
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Z400Racer37
64 months ago
This really pisses me off. One of the reasons I use Apple over anyone else is because they are supposed to care about your privacy over all else. I like Tim overall but I'm a little perturbed by his diplomacy, and he's contradicting "Take us out in a box" statement.
Rating: 6 Votes

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