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Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#81

Post by Gentil »

While I see this is for their Workspace offering. If there is anyone who is discussing about Google search and DuckDuckGo, DDG has been competent enough (subjective) for a long time. And any incompetence of search can be worked around using DDG !bangs for those who are not aware of it - http://duckduckgo.com/bangs.

Bangs essentially lets you search directly on websites like Stack Overflow, Wikipedia, Amazon, Mozilla Developer Network, Arch Wiki and many many websites. Its a really great productivity hack.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#82

Post by haswell »

riverguardian wrote: post #77
yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 fo…

> …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.

This seems reasonable for new customers, maybe? but for existing customers this is pretty heavy handed.

I get that you want users to experience the benefits of this feature, but I personally would prefer to be informed of the feature and its value, and guided to opt in. I’d prefer to make that choice. Especially considering the potential downsides of accidentally preserving all of one’s search history.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#83

Post by pmontra »

social_quotient wrote: post #30
justin_oaks wrote: post #26

Earlier 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?

They have thrown the VSCode and WSL candies to the world and most of us don't notice anymore that they keep behaving as they always did.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#85

Post by pmontra »

lumost wrote: post #8
indymike wrote: post #6

Dear 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.

On the other side, DuckDuckGo is becoming pretty reasonable. I now only need to flip back to google for some hard to search technical topics. DDG also brings up a ton more of the old internet, you get way more variety in the search results.

I fall back to !g when I don't find what I'm looking for. It happens too often for technical things. And Google is the only one that handles "verbatim searches". At least I'm splitting my trail of data between two companies.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#86

Post by [deleted] »

riverguardian wrote: post #77
yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 fo…

[deleted]

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#87

Post by datalist »

qbasic_forever wrote: post #64
scarface74 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When has Google ever been the champion of user experience? Their core product is barely usable without an adblocker.

Gmail was a way, way, way better experience than Hotmail or anything else when it started (and even almost a decade later). Maps blew everyone's mind at launch too and instantly made an entire group of direction and mapping websites irrelevant. Google Earth was magical just spending hours trotting around the globe too. Reader (RIP) was by far the best RSS reader.

Maps and Earth were not in-house built but purchased.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#88

Post by asdff »

Seb-C wrote: post #80
asdff wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not going to happen. The software is entrenched like microsoft office at this point. These organizations buy both and they do the same things, just because its entrenched and expected among students and workers to have both at this point. What a position to be in.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#89

Post by nixass »

riverguardian wrote: post #77
yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 fo…

I don't wanna ruin the conversation here but:

> Great question

This is exactly how politicians (or whoever is doing something nasty) will start the answer on sensitive question. Shady business.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#90

Post by jiggawatts »

asdff wrote: post #68
invalidname wrote: post #58

Earlier 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.

Every single enterprise company I know pays for Office 365.

The only two that pay for G Suite migrated it to Office 365, turned it off, and never looked back.

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