I really don't understand why people care. I think one of the biggest myths is that it's "your data" ... it's not, it's not your personal information. It's what you're using on their platform. And they use that information to keep improving things ... and yes they're motivated by making profit, but so what? I don't see how this is different than television companies wanting to know what demographics are watching what shows, so they can sell appropriate advertising.
You get a good browser that's easy to use, and you can have everything synched for your convenience, and you don't have to pay anything. People make money and keep giving you more of what you want: everyone wins.
I really don't care that some computer knows "middle-aged white woman from Michigan likes Star Trek, Civilization, and shopping online for clothes." I don't feel there's anything nefarious behind it at all, they just want to advertise better. If I'm going to have ads on a page I visit, I'd rather they be intriguing me with something I might actually be interested in rather than something completely random.
