Google celebrates 15 years of its biggest product: You - CNET
Summary
In its earliest days, Google usage exploded as people discovered how well it transformed the Internets chaos and mystery into a medium that was packed with worthwhile content. Perhaps nothing reveals the creepy lines imprecise location more than the revelations of just how intrusive the US National Security Agency has become through data taps, encryption cracking, and subpoenas for information stored at Internet giants. "But if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines, including Google, do retain this information for some time...Were all subject, in the United States, to the Patriot Act. With more than a billion Android devices activated, Google has countless new account holders, a treasure trove of new information about where they use phones, what they search for, where they drive, and whom theyre talking to. As Google begins to invest in more and more areas of everyday life unrelated to Web search, its hard not to imagine the company spending its next 15 years wanting to become an extension of your mind.