Google & the Profits of Evilness

By Jessica E. Vascellaro

A confidential, seven-page Google Inc. “vision statement” shows the information-age giant in a deep round of soul-searching over a basic question: How far should it go in profiting from its crown jewels—the vast trove of data it possesses about people’s activities?

Should it tap more of what it knows about Gmail users? Should it build a vast “trading platform” for buying and selling Web data? Should it let people pay to not see any ads at all?

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A Journal investigation finds that one of the fastest-growing businesses on the Internet is the business of spying on consumers. First in a series.

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