Surely you didn't think Google made all those billions of $ by giving away free software and the occasional ad? It sounds like a bad advert for 1984 but it's not governments who are gradually cataloguing everything you do, it's a private company. How long before you have to verify your real name, address and phone number to get this "free" stuff?
Advertising isn't a problem, especially in return for some "free" services. It's the pervasiveness and small changes made by Google (and to a lesser degree others), bit by bit that concern me. It might be fine, but I do wonder if people will look back in 10 years time and wonder how they walked into giving away their privacy with open arms.
Perhaps I'm just getting old and grumpy, but I'd rather pay for something I needed as a single transaction without the privacy and tracking baggage Google services seem to bring. Whilst I'm sure they're not interested in me specifically they manage to make billions of $ each year from aggregating the personal information on people. It seems to be spreading from "opt in" to a gradual move to having to try to opt out. Individual pieces of information may not be a big deal but should we be concerned if a single company want's to have ultimate control to track, aggregate, track and sell our Email, web browsing, social networks and friends details, videos (and viewing habits) amongst other "stuff", particularly if your ability to opt out of services and elements of data collection starts to be eroded. Is "if you aren't doing anything wrong you have nothing to hide and not require personal privacy" really acceptable? Maybe it is /shrug
I can't help but wonder what the response would be if a government was tracking people internet usage, email, friends, contacts, phone calls etc in the same way that a private company whose only mission is to make share holders money does.
Evil? Maybe not, starting to take the **** and a cause for concern? Maybe.
Advertising isn't a problem, especially in return for some "free" services. It's the pervasiveness and small changes made by Google (and to a lesser degree others), bit by bit that concern me. It might be fine, but I do wonder if people will look back in 10 years time and wonder how they walked into giving away their privacy with open arms.
Perhaps I'm just getting old and grumpy, but I'd rather pay for something I needed as a single transaction without the privacy and tracking baggage Google services seem to bring. Whilst I'm sure they're not interested in me specifically they manage to make billions of $ each year from aggregating the personal information on people. It seems to be spreading from "opt in" to a gradual move to having to try to opt out. Individual pieces of information may not be a big deal but should we be concerned if a single company want's to have ultimate control to track, aggregate, track and sell our Email, web browsing, social networks and friends details, videos (and viewing habits) amongst other "stuff", particularly if your ability to opt out of services and elements of data collection starts to be eroded. Is "if you aren't doing anything wrong you have nothing to hide and not require personal privacy" really acceptable? Maybe it is /shrug
I can't help but wonder what the response would be if a government was tracking people internet usage, email, friends, contacts, phone calls etc in the same way that a private company whose only mission is to make share holders money does.
Evil? Maybe not, starting to take the **** and a cause for concern? Maybe.
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