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Comment by acqq | Hacker News Reader

The point is, Google isn't just "selling space." They collect the data about you, admitting themselves that they prefer to never delete anything. The key word is "targeting," remember? In process, they still know more about you than your mother or partner. Somewhere in their guts, there is a collection of data about you, the depth of it not even imaginable before.

How we got here: Moxie Marlinspike, 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG0KrT6pBPk

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That is a pretty big downgrade in rhetoric on your side: first you were claiming that their business is "surveillance", and that they "sell their users to advertisers" and now that you know better you try to shift the argument to data collection?!

The bottom line is that more data makes better apps, and yes, better ads. I doubt they know you better than "your mother or partner" because I don't know how to measure that (it's an anecdotal, and a fear mongering thing to say).

They collect whatever you allow them to, and they provide ample means of transparency and control. Not to mention the usefulness of their services.

You're completly misinterpreting what I write. I still agree with Schneier that the main mode of their current business is surveillance.

And we slowly got accustomed to it, noticing less and less. The process of it is described by Moxie in the video I've linked to. Do try to watch and think about it.

Btw, it seems this article was flagged to death. Google seems to be sacred here.

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