I don't know about everyone else, but I use Google for all sorts of things. Email, most of my searches, and this blog, for instance.
The services work, and I like the price. I pay nothing to Google.
And nothing is just about the value I put on Google's announcement that it plans to improve its privacy practices. According to the AP, the company says it will make it more difficult to connect online search requests with the people making them by removing key pieces of identifying information from its system every 18 to 24 months. (According to Tom Clayburn at InformationWeek, one reason may be to save some $$$ on storage.)
But Google acknowledges that it will retain lots of data about users, and no matter what the company says, it's prudent to assume that they will track everything you do. If not to roll-over and give it to the government, then to use it to try and sell you something.
As noted earlier in an earlier post, I'm sure they're tracking usage of Google Apps. Heck, they're probably even tracking travel patterns on their employee bus service!
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