Yet, we all use their services, willingly or not. Need a class action and rigorous approach this problem. Else, this reinforcing loop will just continue
Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
71–80 of 452 posts
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#72> 2022-03-29 For those with Legacy G Suite plans that are going away on May 1, this is convenient timing for Google to slurp up the user data of those who are about to leave the service.
I had been told the Legacy G Suite “unlimited” storage would be grandfathered. That turned out to be not true :(
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#73I don't understand the confusion. Doubleclick ate Google from the inside. How can you possibly expect them to do anything else? Anything that favors your privacy, ever? They are in the business of consuming your data for profit. That is google's industry: consuming you. They are absolutely running with the motto "be evil". You think some checkbox in a "privacy settings" window is going to stop it?
DoubleClick's ad domains are hard coded into Google Chrome [1], so that additional telemetry is sent to their ad servers on every request. You cannot disable it. It's never disclosed to users.
When you use Chrome, you're literally using the DoubleClick Browser.
Privacy and ethical concerns aside, this is a clear antitrust violation. Google's ad competitors are at an automatic disadvantage.
The FTC has gone after Intel for releasing a compiler that deliberately disadvantaged competitors, but Google doing much more egregious evil stuff to ad competitors isn't touched. I guess it pays to have the House of Reps Speaker Pelosi own copious amounts of profitable call options in Google. [2] It's profitable to look the other way, isn't it?
[1] https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/e51dcb0c148...
[2] https://nypost.com/2021/12/30/nancy-pelosi-buys-call-options...
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#74Hello hello, PM for the feature checking in here. amf12's reply is quite on-point. Web and App Activity is designed to store search activity across all Google services, and we're splitting Workspace data out since it's governed by strict data handling guarantees, with the hope that more people will feel comfortable getting the benefits of better search in Workspace without having to opt-into search history being trac…
That's actually mostly reasonable, but then why default on instead of either keeping the closest existing setting or asking?
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
I tend to agree. Companies don't seem to switch to being good once they go evil. I would love it if someone could share a counterexample. I want it to be true that companies don't just turn evil but can become better too.
How about Microsoft?
still evil
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're near or past peak growth. Juicing the profits means they have to extract value by reducing costs and monetizing as much as possible. Steady dependable revenue with good customer service isn't good enough for American businesses any more.
The result of a system that legally binds corporations to maximize profits enforced via shareholder lawsuit.
"While it is certainly true that a central objective of for-profit corporations is to make money, modern corporate law does not require for-profit corporations to pursue profit at the expense of everything else, and many do not do so."[1]
[1] https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/13-354.html
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#77Hello hello, PM for the feature checking in here. amf12's reply is quite on-point. Web and App Activity is designed to store search activity across all Google services, and we're splitting Workspace data out since it's governed by strict data handling guarantees, with the hope that more people will feel comfortable getting the benefits of better search in Workspace without having to opt-into search history being trac…
That's actually mostly reasonable, but then why default on instead of either keeping the closest existing setting or asking?
Great question. The premise here is that search is an integral part of the product experience of using Google Workspace. We don't offer controls that separate each piece of functionality within Workspace products. The reason there _is_ one governing both Workspace and non-Workspace data (the current Web and App Activity setting) is mostly historical in nature, and the fact that there are two existing controls (one for the admin, one for the user) means the vast majority of users don't even have the chance to try the feature out to figure out if it's useful for them. Hence the default on. But as noted in the email we'll be very transparent to users telling them that the setting is on, and it's also why this email went out 60 days prior to the change, as advance notice.
That being said, there's an important note that wasn't communicated in the email since it was sent to (paid offering) admins: consumer (non-paid) users who have Web and App Activity disabled will have their Workspace search history setting _also_ disabled as part of the migration. That's because we recognize a user who has turned Web and App Activity off explicitly likely won't feel the need to benefit from Workspace search history either.
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#78Dear Google: you are becoming less likable by the second. For a long time you were the champion of user experience and you forced a lot of sleazy products to change or go out of business. Recently, it's like you've systematically discovered every dark pattern your evangelists once scorned. Please, please flip the don't be evil bit back to on. Evil Google is not very likable.
I may be wrong or naive, but I see this move (offer search history that won't be used for advertising) as a good one. Looks like they are finally trying to diversify their business models and have their users as customers, not product.
If true, that means our social pressure on Google (and Facebook, collaterally) is working, and we should keep applying it.
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
I tend to agree. Companies don't seem to switch to being good once they go evil. I would love it if someone could share a counterexample. I want it to be true that companies don't just turn evil but can become better too.
How about Microsoft?
Would you like to upgrade to windows 11? You said no so I'll offer it again on the very next screen and give no way to turn off the nag
Would you like to login to your own computer with an online microsoft account - again no way to turn off the nag
Want to exit Teams or Onedrive? nag
And both m$ an google (via chrome) are scanning your computer for executables - for your safety of course!
Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
They didn't build a significantly commercially successful product since gmail. Android was an acquisition. They are in panic mode since they realize growth will be over. Search has stagnated, they missed on social (repeatedly) and they have nowhere to improve. Ventures like the self driving car etc. were all an expensive detour. Google is the new Microsoft (or worse, Oracle). It's just a matter of time until the rest…
Every single enterprise company I know of pays for gsuite. Every university too. They could just lean into that.
At least until some manager decides to revamp the UX to get a promotion, thus killing it.
I wonder how long it will take to happen.