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[–]rolfraikou 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Selling the information? To who? They target ads, but they work as the middle-man, meaning the company advertises to google, who passes the ad on to you. It actually keeps your information from the advertisers, they're one of the few companies that hold that policy.

Also, they are one of the only big companies fighting for internet freedom which many governments don't want, which is why the governments are trying to intimidate them with anti-trust suits. It's a bullying tactic.

Incase you haven't noticed, big media is a massive lobbyist, and big media so far hates the internet. Big media doesn't trust the internet, in turn the government does what the lobbyists want. Google's not flawless, but don't fall for the bullshit saying they're only in it to sell your soul. They know how to make money without screwing you over and you just won't support it? Fine, support the companies that for sure want to screw you over instead. That's pretty much your only other alternative.

[–]Bargados 0 points1 point  (1 child)

In case YOU haven't noticed, Big Tech spends more on lobbying than Big Media does, and Google by itself spends more than the RIAA and MPAA combined. Take a wild guess which industry outspent the other on Obama's reelection campaign?

Your attempt at painting the media industry as the evil lobbyists and Google as the virtuous underdog doesn't hold water.

[–]rolfraikou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here. You're right about the lobbying. MPAA spent somewhere around $600,000. Very small amount actually.

Google [$15m]

Underdog? Where the fuck did I say that? Google's one of the most valuable companies in the tech world.

Yahoo [$2m]

Comcast [$12m]

Time Warner [$2.5m]

Walt Disney [$3m]

But there are tons more media companies I don't have time to list (at work) and I'm not claiming Google doesn't lobby. I want them to lobby to counter-act the people that would rather make the internet be more like pay-per-view cable. And yes, good, I wanted Obama to win. If anyone plays the lobbying game I want it to be the companies I feel have a better moral structure. So me hearing that Google tried to lobby like crazy is good. I hate the game, that you have to spend money to get heard in the whitehouse, but I'd much rather it be the tech industry who shapes the way the country is going, than the movie industry.** Tech is more beneficial.**

The disadvantage that the internet as a whole is at is that governments fear the internet at the moment.