What Google won’t do anymore

Under pressure of lawsuit, Google stops scanning student eMail for keywords

google-email-scans
Copyright: antb/shutterstock

Google will no longer scan student and faculty eMails for advertising keywords, the company announced this week.

The change comes on the heels of a lawsuit in California that alleged the scanning was in violation of wirtetap laws, as well as a more general public outcry about the practice.

In a blog post Wednesday, Bram Bout, director of Google for Education, said the change was being made for security purposes.…Read More

Professors, beware: Your nasty eMail could go viral

A Georgetown professor found out last week how fast the blogosphere can spread a rumor.
A Georgetown professor found out last week how fast the blogosphere can spread a rumor.

The prospect of an eMail bouncing to every corner of the internet has college professors measuring their words carefully after a New York University (NYU) professor’s acerbic eMail to a student went “viral” last month and drew worldwide attention.

Scott Galloway, clinical professor of marketing at NYU’s business school, responded to an eMail sent Feb. 9 by a student complaining that Galloway had dismissed him when he came to class an hour late.

Galloway, founder of personalized gift web site RedEnvelope.com, responded with a 424-word message reminding the student that “there is a baseline level of decorum … that we expect of grown men and women who the admissions department have deemed tomorrow’s business leaders” and urging the student to “get your [expletive] together.”…Read More