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> I have got enough value out of Google search, Gmail and Google docs over the years to make the privacy trade-off worthwhile, personally. This statement assum

> I have got enough value out of Google search, Gmail and Google docs over the years to make the privacy trade-off worthwhile, personally. This statement assumes that Google services are of high quality because they exploit users' privacy. I don't think that trade-off is necessary. Google could offer its services with high quality and without violating users' privacy.

GuB-42 5y ago
Many of Google services allow users to take advantage of data collection. For example I once received a notification along the lines of "based on your location and traffic, you should leave at 3pm to catch your 5pm flight". I did nothing, I just received my flight ticket on my Gmail account, Google algorithms did the rest. This is just one example. I find personalized search and suggestions rather good, and I regularly use location history to remember where I was on a particular date. This is of course a byproduct of data collection for monetization purposes, but I like the fact that you can get something useful out of it. Also, Google does a rather good job of not leaking your personal data. I am not talking about state actors level threats, but unlike with Facebook, it doesn't have a tendency to show pictures of you getting drunk to your boss.
- addicted 5y ago
  None of that requires Google to collect your data. A simple one time parse with creating a calendar event and notification based on a Google Maps lookup should be sufficient. None of that even requires Google to retain any personal identifying information.
- moolcool 5y ago
  Google's "plane ticket in the inbox" logic is extremely handy, but it's also not very clever. If a family member forwards me their itinerary so I can pick them up from the airport, for example, Google will still remind me that I have to depart soon, even though I'm just at home.
- 2Gkashmiri 5y ago
  https://theprint.in/politics/asked-google-for-emails-sent-between-pdps-waheed-parra-pakistan-based-terrorists-jk-police/677122/ https://theprint.in/politics/asked-google-for-emails-sent-be... the problem is when governments ask google access to data which otherwise they could not obtain. in this recent case, the idea was to access gmail or google drive because that contains "unencrypted" whatsapp backs. so all the e2e and a thir party managed to be the achilees heel.
chrischen 5y ago
This would be true if Google is able to extract more value from behind your back privacy intrusions than they can extract from convincing people to pay some amount. This is reasonable because Google’s model detaches the consumer from the true cost they are paying, which will inevitably lead to higher costs paid.

GuB-42 5y ago

Many of Google services allow users to take advantage of data collection. For example I once received a notification along the lines of "based on your location and traffic, you should leave at 3pm to catch your 5pm flight". I did nothing, I just received my flight ticket on my Gmail account, Google algorithms did the rest. This is just one example. I find personalized search and suggestions rather good, and I regularly use location history to remember where I was on a particular date. This is of course a byproduct of data collection for monetization purposes, but I like the fact that you can get something useful out of it. Also, Google does a rather good job of not leaking your personal data. I am not talking about state actors level threats, but unlike with Facebook, it doesn't have a tendency to show pictures of you getting drunk to your boss.

addicted 5y ago
None of that requires Google to collect your data. A simple one time parse with creating a calendar event and notification based on a Google Maps lookup should be sufficient. None of that even requires Google to retain any personal identifying information.
moolcool 5y ago
Google's "plane ticket in the inbox" logic is extremely handy, but it's also not very clever. If a family member forwards me their itinerary so I can pick them up from the airport, for example, Google will still remind me that I have to depart soon, even though I'm just at home.
2Gkashmiri 5y ago
https://theprint.in/politics/asked-google-for-emails-sent-between-pdps-waheed-parra-pakistan-based-terrorists-jk-police/677122/ https://theprint.in/politics/asked-google-for-emails-sent-be... the problem is when governments ask google access to data which otherwise they could not obtain. in this recent case, the idea was to access gmail or google drive because that contains "unencrypted" whatsapp backs. so all the e2e and a thir party managed to be the achilees heel.

chrischen 5y ago

This would be true if Google is able to extract more value from behind your back privacy intrusions than they can extract from convincing people to pay some amount. This is reasonable because Google’s model detaches the consumer from the true cost they are paying, which will inevitably lead to higher costs paid.