GMail updates

clipped from venturebeat.com GMail updates: A sneaky, creepy new year from Google? Google is about to include some controversial new features in your GMail account: updates on activities by your GMmail contacts. The coming feature is being reported by Google Operating System, which is a reliable blog that follows Google. According to that blog, the updates will be shown in the chat box on the left of your GMail account, and will reveal online actions taken by your contacts even if you haven’t explicitly chosen them as your “friends.” We haven’t seen the feature yet. The news emerges after concerns Google is already violating our privacy by sharing things about what we do without explicitly asking our permission. See our coverage about the Google Reader controversy.