1) Where do you think publisher's get the money to pay for the infrastructure? Where do you think advertisers who pay publishers get that money? 2) Sure, they

1) Where do you think publisher's get the money to pay for the infrastructure? Where do you think advertisers who pay publishers get that money? 2) Sure, they can't totally treat consumers as tools. But the product is less than what it would be if it were purely designed for users. Have you heard the argument that advertisers are Google's true customers, that we are the product? Google's once famous clean and neutral search results are now cluttered and biased (see [1]). From a Wired article [2]: "Lloyd made his pitch, proposing a quantum version of Google’s search engine whereby users could make queries and receive results without Google knowing which questions were asked. The men were intrigued. But after conferring with their business manager the next day, Brin and Page informed Lloyd that his scheme went against their business plan. “They want to know everything about everybody who uses their products and services,” he joked." 3) See #1 above. Why do brands spend money on brand recognition, and where does that money come from? You say you agree that there is no free lunch but your disagreements contradict that claim. --- [1] http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/10/new-banner-ads-push-actual-google-results-to-bottom-12-of-the-screen/ http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/10/new-banner-ads-push-... [2] http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/10/computers-big-data/all/ http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/10/computers-big-data...