1) I applaud you if you want to move away from Google, if you need a search alternative, I've had a lot of luck with DuckDuckGo, though I still have to do an occasional Google search from time to time.
2) If you think the Google+ real names policy was the only thing keeping them from building a profile on you... yeah... it wasn't, they already had one and probably knew your real name too. Real names was entirely about getting you to disclose the information to their partners and the world as it may have been legally messy for them to have done so.
3) Signing into Youtube was always dumb if you didn't have your own video to post, I've never done it once (okay, I did do it once to get a Steam holiday badge). Youtube comments have always been a cesspool and any video behind their stupid log in/age gate crap I could either find elsewhere or simply ignore. Good riddance if Youtube goes down the shitter.
4) Android is extremely fucking useful and all the other phone providers and most of your apps spy on you, whatever the platform. There is no getting away from it, even if you carry a dumb phone. Either ditch the cell phone and use cash for everything but online orders to accept you can do nothing about being tracked, you will be tracked regardless, you might as well get the free benefits from it since it's gonna happen anyway (yeah, I agree, it shouldn't be that way, I hate it, but there's literally fuck all I can do about it). With that said, Google is especially annoying so fuck em and avoid them, I'm all for it.
silviucc: So what you are telling us, basically, is that you just want to use a service for free but God forbid should Google be able to monetise you. Yes, we Google services users are a commodity. Google makes money selling ads, the better they are able to target them the more customers they'll have. Their customers are ad sellers and companies that want to advertise themselves.
The thing is, that you should have already known it. If you are so concerned about your privacy what is you data doing on someone else's machines huh? Run something similar from a machine or two in your basement/closet/room and be done with it.
When will people learn that there is no such thing as free meals. Unless it's for charity. Last time I checked, Google was not a charity.
There's free services that don't sink to Google's level of bullshit, don't give me that malarkey.
Plus Ghostery, Ad Block Plus (with no ads allowed, no longer the default setting so change it!), and Flash Block, that should squash most of the shit, the web looks better too. Every once in awhile I see someone else's browser and I almost puke.
wpegg: Google are very nasty, and must be fought.
Darkcloud: Because they actually want something in return for offering their services?
They're asking for more than most, that's the point and it's where the anger comes in. They also make nice and intentionally let people be misled into thinking the level of profiling Google does on them is much, much less than it actually is.
AndrewC: And even then, I'd rather have ads that are relevant to me instead of random crap which poses no interest.
C) None of the above.
Funny story, my friend just bought an HDTV, while searching reviews on one he got profiled a fuckton, He bought his chosen HDTV over a week ago. Guess what the only ads he's been seeing for a week are for.
AndrewC: Also, I'd be more weary of a service that sells that info to 3rd parties (which is what Apple is doing) rather than one who's using it all in-house
Check the TOS, I'm pretty sure Google's "sharing your info with their partners". That's code for selling your info, same thing dressed up in order to fool people.
