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Google's Real Name Policy, Why You Are the Product
bs0d3 writes "Google tells their investors: 'Who are our customers? Our customers are over one million advertisers, from small businesses targeting local customers to many of the world's largest global enterprises, who use Google AdWords to reach millions of users around the world.' Site users don't seem to understand. It's not that it's free. It's that you are the product being sold. ThomasMonopoly points out, 'I'm unaware of any company that feels responsible to their product. And if I'm to understand that they're responsible to their customers, the advertisers, I don't want "the world's largest global enterprises" dictating my identity or choosing who in Syria is granted a voice on the world stage.'"
> When use of a service makes it so much easier to carry out business than the old way, people will tend to migrate to it. If use of all the rival services incur much the same penalty in the form of your data being packaged and sold, then the people do not have a choice.
This is just so freaking stupid that I couldn't help but to joint this discussion: "all the rival services incur much the same penalty in the form of your data being packaged and sold" is simple NOT TRUE. You can BUY a service for few bucks a month that will give you email and everything you need. If you want to "carry out business" no matter what business it is then surely you can afford Slicehost or Linode server for $20 a month and now YOU control all of your data. No one will "package and sell" it. Problem solved. Please stop spreading such a bullshit.