From the "you may not have realized this" department, Google is quietly mining your Gmail contacts database to figure out which competing social networks you belong to. When it discovers one, it "suggests" that you vacuum the outside account into your Google account so that Google can exploit the data within its own services. The practice of monitoring users' email address books to better compete with Facebook appears to be the furthest - and most arguably "evil" - step Google has yet taken with Gmail or indeed with any sensitive personal information with which it is entrusted. [Gawker] More »
