[afhsfsfdsss88]

Google and others[Telecoms] are in positions to collect rents on your PI from third parties and G.O.'s. When they[Google] recently learned that the NSA had tapped their unencrypted fiber lines between data centers, they were pissed.

Not because they give a fraction of a shit about you, but because the NSA was stealing their product.

Now they encrypt everything with [very strong] SSL to force everyone to ask/pay for their info.

[einhverfr]

I don't think we know what the relationship between Google and the NSA actually is. I will say that I operate under the assumption that Google gives the NSA whatever they ask for up to and including access to raw streams of information.

I agree with the decision to require TLS, but I don't know that it does a lot with regard to the NSA, and moreover, I don't trust them anymore not to turn over information in bulk.

[raldi]

You should call up Google and tell them you'd like to buy my personal data, and you'd like to get a price quote.

If you don't think that would work, then perhaps your comment needs to be revised. If it's not an open market, then which third parties do you think Google is selling user data to?