Nobody HAS to use Google or Picasa or Gmail…
What’s your point?
Gmail can affect you even if you don’t use it. If you exchange email with others who uses Gmail, your privacy is invaded by proxy. There’s even been class-action lawsuits over this from non-Gmail users who consider this wiretapping.
If we ignore the issues, then less people know about them and make less informed decisions about their choices (or lack thereof). Also, please consider that Google has become so large as to practically become a utility when it comes to search. Businesses that don’t play ball with Google can suffer consequences and when Google uses its monopolistic, anti-competitive might to hinder other players, that affects consumer choice, speech and privacy choices as well.
Also, since Google isn’t upfront about privacy invasions or tries to hide some of them in lengthy EULA’s and legalese, (or within their proprietary code itself) much of the public isn’t going to be aware of the risks when they use products like Picasa. Also, even if you don’t use Picasa, someone else with a photo of you may very well put your photo into their app and, once again, privacy is invaded by proxy.
Are you not aware of the things Google does to subvert privacy without the user’s knowledge? Please educate yourself:
Google bypassed privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser to use cookies to track users:
More:
Did Google trick Apple’s Safari into tracking users?
Google to pay $22.5 million fine over Safari privacy violations
“Free market” solutions are a neo-libertarian myth that ignores greater, complicated externalities that affects far more people than you’re accounting for.
