e-mail privacy at risk by using Cloud Computing

In a letter  to Google, a group of 37 leading academics highlight the dangers linked to the growing use of so-called ‘cloud computing’ applications, which Google has championed via its Gmail service. n recent years, Google has broadened Gmail to include calendars, documents, photos and other software, which are stored on external servers rather than personal computers. Anyone who uses these services from a public connection - such as open wireless networks in coffee shops, libraries, and schools - faces a very real risk of data theft and snooping, even by unsophisticated attackers,” warns the letter, saying “tools to steal information are widely available on the Internet.

The letter was signed by academics in the fields of computer science, information security and privacy law from top EU and US universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The protocol encrypts the data transmitted, thus complicating their exploitation by hackers.  Most email services such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! mail use the unsecured protocol HTTP by default in order to speed up their service and improve users’ experience.

Academics acknowledge that Google does better than Yahoo!, which supports the most widely-used email service in the world - and Hotmail, Microsoft’s e-mail service, as neither of them offer users the possiblilty to switch to HTTPS. Online privacy ranks among the main concerns  of EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding, who is heading for a second five-year mandate in charge of the information society portfolio. The topic is likely to feature high on the agenda of today’s meeting with Larry Page.

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