[coldtea]

Why does everyone assumes it's just about the "automated processing" they do?

I'm 100% sure besides showing "relevent ads" in real time as you check your mail, they also keep a huge profile for your account name, cross check with all their other services and mainly search, and generally have a file on you and your preferences.

And that's besides sharing your email with their government friends.

[cheald]

Because this whole kerfluffle is about the fact that by granting Google the ability to spam-filter and process your email, you are giving up your legal expectation of privacy by placing your data into the hands of a third party. It's the lowest common denominator. Sure, they may be doing other stuff, but we know for a fact that they process your email in ways X, Y, and Z, which are what the legal theories are based upon.