Google has added a clause to their Terms of Service about scanning of emails going through their servers. In order to provide free access to Gmail, Google shows advertisements along email messages and scans their contents to show advertisements relevant to the content.
The new clause clarifies why and when your content is scanned as Google writes, "Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored. "
Although the company now clearly states this in their terms, it doesn't mean Google didn't scan content before. The company has already been doing this for years but recently faced a class action claim which accused Google of breaching wiretap laws over its content scanning. Although Google won the case, the company likely hopes the clarification will prevent more legal issues.
