[smeej]

Google went public in August 2004, so <5 months after Googlemail launched, which is what we're talking about here. And it's hard to criticize regular people for not seeing privacy issues in 2004 that weren't surfaced until 2006/7, especially when the average person barely knew how to use email.

I know 20 years doesn't seem like all that long ago, but no normal person had any expectation that they would be carrying a device in their pockets that reported their every move and conversation to a giant megacorp that sold their attention to the highest bidder. Not back then.