ErikJonker

A  not very well known initiative within Google is the so-called Data Liberation Front . Their mission statement:, " Users should be able to control the data they store in any of Google's products.  Our team's goal is to make it easier to move data in and out .". A worthy goal which has led to better possibilities to remove your data from Google's services. Also know as Google Take Out . In my view their mission could be expanded to not only controlling your data in Google products but also to be in more control about your privacy and how your data is used. If you use google services all your data is used to improve those services and predict/anticipate your desires, actions and purchases. People get more and more uncomfortable about that lately. Including their parliaments, at least in Europe. This is reinforced by all the Snowden/NSA fall-out which make clear that data inside Google is not that safe and well protected as it could be. Google has clear business ...

In the public debate following the revelations by Snowden one aspect is a bit overlooked in my view. It's the relation between privacy and user experience. A strange couple at first glance. In the discussion about privacy there is a bit of a paradox. Activists go out of their way to explain that there are all kind of excellent technical tools to assure or better protect your privacy (which is true). The best ofcourse based on open source and open standards. It remains "talk" most of the time. After the discussion about it 98% of the users return to their comfortable Facebook, Google or Apple world. And with a reason, they love the user experience, the ease of use. Something most of the privacy enhancing tools do not match. I really hope the market will also notice this and more real user friendly privacy enhancing tools will come along. Maybe even integrated in products of the great platform providers (Google, encryption in Gmail would be nice). It's difficult for ope...