Donzo

Lots of people take Ibuprofen when they have a fever.

This is absolutely correct.

Not only is an individual's private data nearly worthless, but they can protect it for free simply by using the Brave browser or other adblocking/tracking solutions.

People often claim that they would pay for web content if it were somehow easier or if micropayments worked better or something. I'm not sure that I believe them.

We can even still have voting at registered polling places with judges.

But, instead of throwing our votes into a magic black box, how about we put them on a blockchain and receive a way to audit our own votes?

I'm not sure what scientific bar of proof you would need to see passed, but Google stalks users and targets them because it makes them more money. The ads perform better. Their systems fall back on context, when they can't do the more lucrative stalking.

Transparency.

I must have struck a nerve.

I use the Brave browser now. I think other people should too. Downvotes welcome.

They broke my YouTube account a number of years ago in an attempt to force Google+ across their systems and artificially inflate user numbers.

Yesterday I got an email from them saying that they are nuking my Google+.

I will always remember that series of events as one of the most hostile acts of aggression against users that I have ever experienced.

That changed my perspective of Google as a company and I'm not sure that they can ever regain the positive perception that they lost due to those hostile actions.

Now their dominance with Chrome is leading them to make similarly hostile actions: breaking webaudio, attempting to "do away with URLs," forcing unwanted shit on our Internet.

Arrogance is the right word for it.

Even then, the yearly USD value of a 2-10% return on your ethers will be unknown, but hey... Compounding interest is compounding interest.