What I use instead of Google services
> <i>"Like most people, I don't like to be tracked. I also am the founder of the search engine that doesn't track you, DuckDuckGo."</i><p>It pains me to hear intelligent people talk about being "tracked" as something "bad" a priori.  While there are certainly plenty of examples of abuse of knowledge, I tend to think of most "tracking" not as "stalking" but as "relationship building."  Let me explain...<p>Google is a service provider that I frequent, just like my coffee roaster or my stock broker or whatever.  Over time, service providers develop a relationship with their customers based on knowledge of that customer.  This knowledge helps inform how they provide and improve their service.  My coffee roaster knows what kinds of coffee I like and makes appropriate recommendations when new beans arrive. My stock broker knows what kinds of risks I like to take and gives appropriate investment direction.<p>Ok, so I don't really have a stock broker but... My point is: I appreciate that google is aware enough to know that when I search for "hash salt" I'm not talking about potatoes.  DDG shows me recipes and first.<p>The problem (as with most things that are hot-button issues) is that the most talked about thing - "tracking" - is a red herring. The REAL issue is <i>accountability.</i>  True information lockdown rarely benefits anyone, but openness without accountability is useless and downright dangerous.<p>Suggesting people flee one provider's services and head to other providers who are not concretely more accountable (just because they "say so" doesn't make it true) is simply being petty.  We should instead be spending out breath advocating for greater accountability in the system as a whole.