Gmail's "Encrypted" Upgrade Only Applies to Paying Users That's Because You’re the Product
Google's new Gmail encryption sounds like a win for privacy—until you look closer. It's only for paying enterprise users, because regular users aren't customers. They're data.
If you're not paying for Gmail, you're not the customer you’re the product. That’s the real headline buried inside Google’s latest rollout: end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Gmail is finally here, but only for enterprise users.
Google is now offering client-side encryption (CSE) for Gmail, meaning business users can send fully encrypted emails to any email address without managing complicated certificates. This isn’t just about convenience it’s a major improvement in privacy and data sovereignty, especially for industries under strict compliance regimes like HIPAA or GDPR. The encryption keys stay outside Google’s servers, which means even Google can’t read the contents. Sounds great, right?
Except regular users won’t see any of it.
Encryption like this should be a baseline standard for everyone, but Google’s making it clear: the real privacy tools are only available to paying customers. If you’re on a free Gmail account, you're not a protected party you’re a data point. Your inbox is still fair game for ad targeting, machine learning, and the usual backend scanning that fuels Google’s revenue model.
This encryption model isn’t new tech. S/MIME has existed for years, but it was so complex and clunky most people ignored it. Google’s version simplifies the whole process. No certificates, no headaches just click "Additional encryption" when composing, and you're set. But again, only if you’re using an enterprise-tier account.
Here’s the bigger issue: privacy shouldn’t be a paywall feature. And when companies like Google gatekeep encryption, they’re signaling something loud and clear. You're not buying a product. You are the product.
So yes, good on Google for making encryption easier to use. But don’t mistake this for democratizing privacy. It’s a service feature not a user right. And if you’re not paying, you're not the one being served.
Learn more about Google Workspace Client-Side Encryption and why end-to-end encryption matters.
