[allenz]

But the tech-savvy community has influence. We set up computers for our friends and families. We write IT policies. We are web developers, tech reporters, and more.

At least for me, Google's behavior means that I can no longer recommend Chrome.

[adtac]

I can't imagine the impact is significant even if we consider two degrees of acquaintances (you tell someone to not use Chrome and they tell someone else).

[Kim_Bruning]

That would be very depressing if true.

Fortunately it's not. On average people are only about 6 degrees apart, so in reality a relatively small number of people can get a surprisingly large amount of coverage in a frighteningly short amount of time, should they choose to apply themselves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation

[allenz]

The world is very small, and privacy is a mainstream concern these days. The impact of one story or one action is limited, but in the end, users do get their say. Otherwise, we would still be using Internet Explorer.