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by nofutureagain 4147 days ago
> they could just ask/hack Google

You mean "buy from".

This is Google's core business. And I don't consider the NSA more creepy than Google's other customers.

2 comments

> You mean "buy from".

> This is Google's core business. And I don't consider the NSA more creepy than Google's other customers.

Google's core business is keeping personal data and using it to target ads that advertisers pay Google to show, not providing that personal data to paying customers. Selling the data would be giving away the prime competitive edge Google has, which lies in selling services (primarily advertising) where Google has a competitive edge because of its unique access to the data.

So, unless the NSA wants Google to show you ads rather than wanting detailed information on you, what they would be looking for would not be what Google's core business involves selling.

Surely they don't need to buy it, surely they can request it under the guise of national security.
"request" haha