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How user data flows between big technology platforms such as
Google and Facebook Inc and their partners has faced scrutiny
around the world this year since Facebook revealed it had done
little to monitor such relationships.
Google said in a letter to U.S. senators made public on Thursday
that it relies on automated scans and reports from security
researchers to monitor add-ons after launch, but did not respond
to lawmakers' request to say how many have been caught violating
the company's policies.
Senators may seek further clarity on Gmail's operations at a
Commerce Committee hearing about privacy practices scheduled for
Sept. 26 with officials from Google, Apple Inc, AT&T Inc and
Twitter Inc.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gmail users must give their consent to activate extensions,
which can help them send emails on a time delay, get price-match
rebates from retailers and remove unwanted mailing lists.
Under Google's policies, software firms that create these
add-ons must inform users about how they collect and share Gmail
data
The lawmakers' inquiry came after the Wall Street Journal
reported in July that some add-on makers did not make clear to
users that their employees could review Gmail messages and that
their data could be shared with additional parties.
Software experts told Reuters in March that auditing of apps
that interact with Gmail, Facebook and other services is lax.
To be sure, sharing with a fourth party is essential to the
functioning of some add-ons. For instance, a trip-planning app
may scan a users' email for upcoming flight details and then use
the data to query an airline for updated departure information.
Google told senators it has suspended apps due to "a lack of
transparency to users," without identifying violators or when
enforcement actions took place.
Gmail, used by 1.4 billion people, is not the only Google
service drawing lawmaker questions about oversight.
House lawmakers asked Google in a separate letter in July
whether smartphones with its voice assistant tool can or do
collect so-called "non-triggered" audio in order to recognize
phrases like "Okay Google" that activate voice controls.
The lawmakers cited media reports and said there had been
suggestions that third-party applications have access to and use
this non-triggered data without disclosure to users.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Paresh Dave; Editing by
Meredith Mazzilli)
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