[amitheonlyone]

You really don't have to control though. Information itself is enough in the most part. As you said, Google already knows, but it has it's own procedure in fulfilling government requests. With the information directly in the hands of the government, that barrier is gone.

[arebhaibhai]

I know and that's what I think is better, at least for now. I know how to remove something a govt puts in phone but I can't use a lot of apps without Google Play services, which is a bigger issue for me. You turn on a VPN an govt is out but Google, gosh, it's everywhere.

[approxim8ion]

I'm not sure if "you turn on a VPN and govt is out" is an accurate representation though, considering not all VPNs also resolve DNS requests, and a number of ISPs resort to deep-packet inspection and a number of tactics that would let them collect information on users. It's a matter of agreement, compliance, or force for the government to get their hands on that data.

But I definitely agree on the point about Google Play Services. For a platform that is often touted as being open, Android isn't quite Android without Play Services, and that wouldn't be the case if Google wasn't systematically ensuring that specific outcome.

[newen]

It’s at least somewhat possible, through open political means, to control what the government does with that information by having the government add regulations and controls on the data. To control what google does with that information, you’d have to spend a trillion dollars to buy google.