Yeah I agree. As near as I can tell municipalities treat Alphabet like their own data utility. They consider it an extension of their government. I have two kid

Yeah I agree. As near as I can tell municipalities treat Alphabet like their own data utility. They consider it an extension of their government. I have two kids in public school and those schools' reliance on these closed platforms is almost 100% complete for everything from newsletters to surveys to class sign-up and bill payment. It is the largest thing that keeps me from de-googling my life. I'm not necessarily saying municipalities should build this stuff out themselves, only that it freaks me out when small governments rely on giant corporations to support their infrastructure.