How Google pioneered the "surveillance capitalism" business model

[ChrisUK]

I'm a huge Google fan. I actually want only Google to have my info, instead of spreading my info think over other unreliable and less trustful companies and services I prefer that one company has my info.

Since I use an Android phone Google knows where I am anyway, if I were to disable location it would cripple my phone way too much, why give my location and map search info to any other company that I might not trust, both in technical capability -- whatever you can say Google has shown that they can secure their xxxxxxx -- and in business deals. At least being a big company is under scrutiny and has responsibility, spreading your info to small companies that can go bankrupt be acquired by I-don't-know-what company or are unreliable is not a better idea.

Whenever I see this threads with "X company sucks" I get angry because people get so presumptions. Not everybody has your preferences, not everybody worries about the same thing as you do, not everybody reaches your conclusion. The silent majority who happily uses Google products is not likely to be attracted by such threads, so you'll see some kind of opinions over-represented.

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Go Google!

Pretty much agree, and

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BTW, I want somebody to tell me what bad thing Google did with my info.
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Google are doing nothing that every other company/country isn't trying to do or doing already

[JayM]

You could still use your debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs at the stores or supermarkets you shop at, or nearby, All that would be known is that Eadwine Rose withdrew such-and-such amount at this location. They wouldn't know what merchandise or services you bought with that money.

I do a lot of purchases online too, because they save me lots of time, money and effort. Rather than taking taxis or other public transport to stores here and there only to be told "Out of stock, sir" it's easier and less expensive to buy via Lazada.com.ph and have it delivered for way less than taxi fare to and from a store, or in reality several stores, would be. So yes, I do contribute to the (meta)data collection machine a bit. But I always pay COD so at least my bank can't get into the data-collection act (plus if an item doesn't get delivered I still have my money.)

A person could go completely off-grid where their shopping and purchasing habits are concerned (another way to do that is to use Craigslist and similar online classified sites and buy stuff from private sellers) but at least most of us can decrease the online data collection to some extent. At very least we can avoid feeding the Google, Facebook, etc. as much as we do. But like RichB mentioned it's a personal choice. He considers trying to restrict the outflow of data regarding his personal online habits to be crippling his systems. Others may decide differently. It's like using Windows vs. Linux or BSD, Personal choice and convenience.

[zorzi]

IMO, it's really time to get rid of Google.

I do not use their services/products anymore. I deleted Android of my phone and replaced it with LineageOS or AOKP.

For an alternative to Google Maps, Open Street Map does the job.

I'm a huge Google fan. I actually want only Google to have my info, instead of spreading my info think over other unreliable and less trustful companies and services I prefer that one company has my info.

A default choice is not a choice, I suppose...

[danielson]

For those familiar with the movie Tom Cruise did, working for the IAC (alias for CIA) - Alphabet (alias for Google) sends all data to storage.
The cost to keep those units cool is enormous!
Why the ever increasing need to spy on our own citizens?
If you don't think Google is a portal or front for the CIA, think again.
Watch a few of those reports by James Corbett.
They are all well documented.

[zorzi]

@Eadwine Rose - i care about you!

Thing is, have been using Google services since the beginning.
Not easy not to and even then as JayM pointed out, there appears to be no way out.

I'm scared when I read this. How fatalist...

[zorzi]

How many years do I have to wait before I can install an AntiX-19 or something to a retail smartphone and escape the exploitation of big corporations that misuse capitalism? Just saying that on a PC you can protect yourself but hardly on mobile.

Google owns phones, unless you are willing to pay $1,000 for a smartphone. And even then, without Google's apps a smartphone is about worthless. Years ago they used to break up monopolies--the good old days.

My phone works perfectly with LineageOS. No need to spend $1,000, just move your ass and throw your Android to garbage.

[jeffreyC]

Paying cash for everything might be a good thing in non-surveillance state countries, but here it will get you on a watch list for either being an anti-government radical privacy extremist or a drug dealer (or both).

But then, the last time I looked the list of things that could get you put on a watch list was a 143mb PDF (and no, I didn't leave out any decimal point).

[zorzi]

Best Goggle achievement is probably when its users think they can't live without it...

[Eadwine Rose]

Best Goggle achievement is probably when its users think they can't live without it...

Worst achievement is when people assume things about people they don't know

[Adrian]

Best Goggle achievement is probably when its users think they can't live without it...

It's not that I cannot use without it, the question is why? I don't have any problem with Google. But pray tell, what harm did they do to me? Please not BS about CIA and other stuff that was posted in this thread, please pinpoint exactly what was the harm that they do to me.

I can show you what benefits I got from them:
- google.com
- Gmail
- Google Chrome (right now I'm on Firefox though, I want to give it another fair trial)
- Google Maps
- Android
- Chromebook
- Google Pictures
- Google Drive

I love all these products, I could replace each of them with inferior versions, but I don't see the "why".