Google: Gmail users have no "legitimate expectation of privacy."

Today's Time Magazine story makes the NSA inroads to Silicon Valley rather unambiguous (see Time's story here). In Google's motion filed on June 13, 2013 regarding class action complaints that "…allege the company violates wiretap laws by poking around in email…" we read:

Just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipient’s assistant opens the letter, people who use web-based email today cannot be surprised if their communications are processed by the recipient’s ECS [electronic communication service] provider in the course of delivery. Indeed, “a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties."

Hey, I don't mind unambiguous. Good for Google. I just wish our government would be equally unambiguous and let us stop playing defense-only tactics with people trying to hack our systems.

In fact, realizing that some übersnooper is looking at my email for keywords, I've had some ideas about responding to spam that would put a national security bullesye on spammers. For the time being, I'll keep those to myself.