Google could hold the data encrypted against a key you control and they do not. You'd have access to the data, and could control specifically when and to whom it's released.
It would continue to be backed up on Google's servers.
1. The snooping doesn't buy much ad placement benefit. That from Roberto Bayardo, Google advertising engineer.
2. The idea is not to cram ads down people's throughts all the time, but to not skeeve people off so much that you're not wwhere they go for purchase recommendations. If that means services which are mostly privacy-aware but that this means that you're where maps or shopping or search queries happen, that's a win.
A counter might be that Google's primary aim now isn't ads but AI and training data. I still think that not annoying or alarming people is preferable. Some data are better than no data, or intentionally distorted data, or massive regulatory burden.
Short answer: because privacy-promoting would be the better business choice.
Google got so big because it didn't "cram ads down people's throats all the time", I don't know why you think that.
Are you saying Google should drop Maps, Gmail, Drive and all the rest because they are not valuable from a business perspective? Their business is ads after all (today at least).
I actively avoid Maps and Gmail because of the ads (and surveillance). Similarly Google search itself.
Which means that when I am open to suggestion I am on other services.
By not maximising the short-term ad-impressions (or other short-term) metric, Google increases odds of being there when people are interested in its money-maker: quality suggestions for commercial goods and services.
They've probably lost you but their business model is not shrinking, at all. Far from it.
>>> By not maximising the short-term ad-impressions (or other short-term) metric, Google increases odds of being there when people are interested in its money-maker: quality suggestions for commercial goods and services
Google is already 18 yo, they are clearly not playing the short term game.
And they are offering quality suggestions for commercial goods and services. People are arguing whether or not they collect too much data for said services, but I haven't heard anyone complain that their ads are obtrusive. Including yourself.
I spend my days maintaining a few years of data at work. Making sure it's backed up, always accessible.
I do not want to do that in my off time.
I know "do it locally" is often repeated here, but do you really expect a local solution to be able to get this kind of information and keep it safe, secure, and constantly working for this long? And how much time, money, and effort should you spend maintaining such a solution?
I have data in my Google account going back 10 years! That's impressive as hell!
I am the same poster who posted above (liking the data being there). I was just pointing out that is "is" possible to do it without google handling it.
Personally I actually do track some "hourly" data, maybe 2-3 hours in total to set it up and it's running for 2-3 years. I suppose you could add some time to run it through some encryption software and put it in Dropbox without too much of a hassle.
It would continue to be backed up on Google's servers.