Friend,
I read the article and know it wasn't an app. My comment was directed to Google's relentless pursuit to ignore rules, strict limits, and public respect. Even if Google didn't mean to do it, people are going to have a hard time trusting a company that makes a living mining personal information and breaks our trust by manipulating said flaw. Yes, we can opt out. Great. But explain to me why anyone should trust a company that does all that? Does opt'ing out even make a difference? Yes, I'm sure other companies have their hand in the same cookie jar, but Google's got a reputation for crossing that line over and over again.
Namaste.
I get your point, I really do.
But I still have to ask, as nobody (ever) seems to have provided a real valid answer:
So what if Google know your favorite restaurant? Or that you visit TheNYTimes.com every morning at exactly 8:30 am. Whats the big deal exactly? By knowing this information about you does it somehow cause you great problems in your day to day life?
Seriously. Think about this for a minute before you (or anyone else who wishes to) answer. What is the issue with Google using your location and search habits to serve up personalized ads, which you'll probably not click on anyway.