Cyber-tapped

For awhile now, Google has been reading my email. As far as I can tell, its purposes are benign and possibly even beneficent. If I have written to a friend about tennis, Google might provide a link at the top of the page to a site that lists local tennis instructors. Or, when a friend writes to me about a new movie, Google helpfully provides a link for a movie theater, in case I might want to see the movie, too. And whenever I clean out my spam, Google responds in a kind of cute, non-human way by providing a link to Spam recipes.

I found it a bit disturbing when I first discovered the undeniable connection between the content of my email messages and the links that would appear at the top of the page. But I have become used to this infiltration into my privacy and have assumed that no actual person has access to my account.

However, events of this morning have led me to wonder whether this connection goes a bit further than I think it should. My basement guy showed up early this morning to get back to work on the hopefully amazing basement he is building for us, and I informed him (verbally, mind you, not in writing) that a small leak had started downstairs during the heavy rains we experienced over the past few days. I called out my comments to him across the room from my position in front of the computer. When I turned back to face the screen a few minutes later, Google had provided a link for "Basement Waterproofing."

Coincidence? I certainly hope so. I am seeking additional information from anyone in the know. Big Brother seems to be watching. Or, at least, Big Google is.