> This is because you are paying with your personal information, it's just another currency.
That doesn't seem accurate. You are "paying" by allowing yourself to be exposed to advertisements. Your personal information helps target those ads.
That doesn't seem accurate. You are "paying" by allowing yourself to be exposed to advertisements. Your personal information helps target those ads.
No, many of us are literally paying. You know, with dollars. For (really tiny amounts of) storage space. And other things.
As far as I know, the reason they want my information is to make the actual revenue-generating thing work better. The advertisements would still make Google (far less, but still significant) money without my personal information. My personal information presumably wouldn't generate much significant revenue at all were it not being used in service of advertisements. That's why it seemed odd to me to say that I'm paying with my personal information, and not mention advertising exposures. Perhaps I'm quibbling though!
Anyway, I'm starting to feel like a modern jackass[1]; sorry if this wasn't very clear.
1. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=modern%20jack...