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Comment by babuskov | Hacker News Reader

> Your average web user loves Google

Many average users I know think Google is the Internet. 10 years ago, they thought that Internet Explorer is the Internet. They don't really care, the same way most people don't care what's the manufacturer of the bus that takes them to work every morning. They just want to get stuff done, get information they need and go on with their lives.

Whether Google makes some money with their data, or nobody makes money because it's all open source, wouldn't change a thing. Even if such change happened, the average user would just say: Okay. And go on with their life as before.

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This. You know why Microsoft made Windows 10 auto-update? Because people like my father would put off updating forever. Because they don't care about security or privacy from hackers, let alone Google/MS/FB or the government. They just don't care.

You know how some developers end up making big balls of mud because they don't care and they just want to solve the current Jira issue right now? That's how your relatives's PCs got so shit. They just want to do a thing with the computer right now, and don't care about the long-term consequences or the bigger picture.

> Many average users I know think Google is the Internet.

yep. i mention this a lot, but it's scary how well Google has done in the education market these days. Kids (at least all of the 0-6th graders I know) equate all things Google with "the internet." They know nothing that isn't Gmail. To them, "Gmail" IS email. They know no video sites besides YouTube. They go for Google Maps. Even on mobile devices where Google is the default search engine, it still feeds you Google services before anything else. Notice how on the iPhone, you can't copy & paste an address from a web search into Maps? Nope. It opens web version of Google Maps and prompts you to download the app.

The average user is going to say, and often times because they have no idea how to leave. Google is keeping them there.

Google also is naming their products the English word and basically taking ownership. So Google Photos becomes Photos. Google Home instead of something like Echo. Google WiFi instead of OnHub.

But we are capitalist and Google is using the system in a smart way to grow their business.

So Google is a verb and now they will own more and more English nouns.

I can not fault Google.

On privacy and service capabilities. It is also about choice. If you are not concerned with Google having your data as you feel it does allow improved offering then you should be able to.

I get some think willing to share your private data is insane there are some of us that that would like companies like Google to do more with the data. If I am going to get an ad I prefer one on the NSX Acura than a tampons ad.

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