Google, the widely popular Internet search engine, has announced a new e-mail service known as Gmail. So far, it has quickly generated hype and controversy over privacy issues among Internet users nationwide.

According to its website (www.gmail.com), the service is not yet widely available, but will be in the near future, once it gets past the testing phase.

The service will offer 1 gigabyte—or about 1,024 megabytes—of e-mail storage space free. This is more than 100 times what most e-mail providers offer. Services such as MSN Hotmail and Yahoo only give about 2 or 4 megabytes of free space. To put this size in perspective, Gmail gives about 500,000 pages of e-mail per user, according to Google.com.

Also, in track with Google’s specialty, Gmail will allow you to search through your inbox with accuracy. No folders are involved in the process, although the service allows you to classify your mail with the use of labels.

When it comes to junk e-mail, otherwise known as spam, Gmail’s filters immediately screen out the message so your inbox remains spam-free. Users can report spam from their inbox to Google, to help improve the spam filter. This is not unlike most other e-mail providers such as Yahoo and MSN Hotmail.

However, the controversy over Gmail has to do with its text advertising tailored to each message. Some people say that it is an outright invasion of privacy while others say that the issue is invalid.

According to gmail.com, each message goes through an automatic process when opened. The message is scanned for keywords, and simple text advertisements that are relevant to those keywords are displayed next to your message. Google claims that this process is completely automatic and that no person reads your mail, therefore privacy is not a problem. For example, if you received a message having something to do with books, you may see simple text ads for online bookstores or specials on specific books displayed. Some may find this kind of advertising preferable to the large, animated ads that take up much bandwidth.

Some lawmakers do not like the notion of targeted advertising and are drafting laws to ban the e-mail service.

‘We think it’s an absolute invasion of privacy. It’s like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home,” Senator Liz Figueroa, a Democrat of California, said in a CNN telephone interview. She is proposing a law that would ban Gmail.

Gmail has received sharp criticism especially in Europe. Since privacy laws are especially strict in that region, both lawmakers and citizens are speaking out against Gmail. Lawmakers also claim that Gmail is against the law because the service stores e-mails where you cannot completely delete them. European laws require services such as this to give users total control over their account, according to CNN.

“This is not just ‘buyer beware’. Consumers should be aware that there’s a vast violation of European law occurring here,” Privacy International director Simon Davies was quoted as saying.

So far, Gmail is compatible with the most popular Internet browsers. This includes Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 and later, Netscape 7.1 and later, Mozilla version 1.4 and later and Mozilla Firefox version 0.8 and later. It is compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Linux, and JavaScript as well as cookies must be enabled in the browser before using the service. Gmail is currently in the testing phase and is available only to a select few. No wide-launch date has been set as of yet but anyone can visit www.gmail.com to get the latest news on the service.