I agree that it is a mistake to view these companies as altruistic entities, after all, they're not charity organizations. They will use your data some way or a

I agree that it is a mistake to view these companies as altruistic entities, after all, they're not charity organizations. They will use your data some way or another to increase their revenues and I think within reasonable limits this is acceptable. As for government agencies, I'm more afraid of my data ending up in incompetent hands. Governmental organizations are not exactly known for their competency, neither here in England nor across the Atlantic. Someone incompetent with access to my data, even with the best intentions may cause serious trouble to me, not to mention someone without exactly the best intentions.