Hoping to add to the thread on email privacy

this isn't a very friendly interface so it's hard to add to the thread. anyway, i think that the primary reason there has been less backlash against the apparent invasion of privacy of google mail, facebook, and others, is that targeted advertising actually works. people don't mind getting ads for things they want. they probably think, wow, this is way better than when i kept getting irritating ads for crap i don't care about. so that sucks, because there is no incentive for a free email site that is private. or a free online community of any kind that doesn't use your data. i just became aware of the extensive use of my data tonight when LinkedIn suggested contacts to me that could only have been gleaned from google mail and facebook, and where else? should we also boycott the sites and businesses that buy this ill-gotten data? i think so. unless, of course, it benefits us.. quite the quandary. free email that essentially violates us, a free jobsite site that promotes us but buys information about us and asks our contacts on a regular basis to promote us without our permission? hmm