Google Makes It Harder For Marketers To Collect User Data 195
cagraham writes "In a seemingly minor update, Google announced that all Gmail images will now be cached on their own servers, before being displayed to users. This means that users won't have to click to download images in every email now — they'll just automatically be shown. For marketers, however, the change has serious implications. Because each user won't download the images from a third-party server, marketers won't be able to see open-rates, log IP addresses, or gather information on user location and browser type. Google says the changes are intended to enhance user privacy and security."
Cutting into their business (Score:5, Funny)
Of course they're cracking down hard - stealing user data is Google's job...they don't like the competition.