Gmail confirms private Gmail messages can be read by third parties

Source: The Wall Street Journal, 05/10/2018

Gmail confirms private Gmail messages can be read by third parties
Google reassures users it`s secure and within their best interests
Google has responded to The Wall Street Journal highlighting how
common it is for third-party developers to view user Gmail
messages.
The publication had previously reported that Google has a `dirty
secret` by allowing developers to sift through Gmail due to users
granting permission for third parties to do so.
Google said it makes it possible for applications from other
developers to integrate with Gmail, such as email clients, trip
planners and customer relationship management systems so that
users have options around how they access and use email.
As a result of this, private messages in Gmail can be read not
only by third-party systems but also by humans not intended to be
the recipients of such emails.
The search giant stressed that it continuously works to vet
developers and their apps that integrate with Gmail before it
opens up them for general access. It said it also provides both
enterprise admins and individual consumers transparency and
control over how their data is used.
`A vibrant ecosystem of non-Google apps gives you choice and helps
you get the most out of your email,` said Suzanne Frey, Google
Cloud`s director of security, trust and privacy.
`However, before a published, non-Google app can access your Gmail
messages, it goes through a multi-step review process that
includes automated and manual review of the developer, assessment
of the app`s privacy policy and homepage to ensure it is a
legitimate app, and in-app testing to ensure the app works as it
says it does.`
In order to pass Google`s review process, non-Google apps must
meet two key requirements. Firstly, apps should not misrepresent
their identity and must be clear about how they are using your
data and secondly, they must only request relevant data they need
for their specific function, nothing more, and be clear about how
they are using it.
The WSJ story did not unearth any wrongdoing from third-party apps
or services using Gmail, but it has shone a light on a previously
discreet industry practice that is under heavier scrutiny since
Facebook`s Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal.
Google is now taking steps to actively defend its own data
management and user privacy practices to convince users and
businesses that is a responsible steward of sensitive user data.