A NBC News article (May 10, 2018) "Google sells the future, powered by your personal data" makes some interesting observations. - The more Google products you use, the more Google can gather about you. Whether it’s Gmail, the Android smartphone operating system, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Maps, and, of course, Google Search - the company is collecting gigabytes of data about you. Google offers free access to these tools and in return shows you super-targeted advertising, which is how it made $31.2 billion in revenue in just the first three months of 2018.
Google's data collection practices include scanning your email to extract keyword data for use in other Google products and services and to improve its machine learning capabilities, Google spokesman Aaron Stein confirmed in an email to NBC News.
"We may analyze [email] content to customize search results, better detect spam and malware," he added, later noting Google has customized search in this way since 2012.
How Google collects data from Gmail users and what it uses that data for has been a particularly sensitive topic. In June 2017, Google said it would stop scanning Gmail messages in order to sell targeted ads. After this article was published, Google’s confirmation that it does still collect data from the email of Gmail users drew attention from some journalists that cover technology and digital privacy.
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To prevent Google (or anyone else) from scanning the content of your e-mail for key words - ENCRYPT, ENCRYPT, ENCRYPT !
Consider using a privacy focused e-mail provider, such as Protonmail or Tutanota, for your personal e-mail. Use other secure communication services, such as Signal Messenger, to communicate sensitive, private, and personal information. End-to-End Encryption is essential to safeguarding your privacy.
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