The article brings up some good points, but I fear that laying the blame completely at the feet of Google commits two mistakes. First, it unfairly lays the blame on a single entity on the internet. Secondly, it muddles the difference between anonymity and privacy.
By blaming Google, the article neglects to mention that what Google does (writing cookies, tracking users) is ubiquitous on the internet. One could easily suppose that if Google were the problem, then the solution would be not to use Google. However, this would not solve the actual problem (the actual problem being that privacy and anonymity are not the same thing).
There is a vast difference between privacy and anonymity. Anonymity does not imply privacy. Bruce Schneier offers an <a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/09/security_matters_0920">
excellent essay</a> describing the difference on Wired.com.
The real issue is that a vast majority are ignorant of what the internet really is. People may have a vague idea that the web is a giant bulletin board and that anyone can read what is written there. But when it comes to e-mail, most people seem to naturally assume that it's safe and secure. It is not: I would venture to say that almost all of the non-spam e-mail floating around is sent without any encryption whatsoever.
One of the analogies used during the early days of PGP was that it is like the difference between sending your correspondences in an envelope versus sending them on a postcard. Which method offers more privacy?
The problems described in the article will not be fixed by making changes to Google (or any other portal). The problems can be fixed by trying to do a better job of educating the users of the internet. I don't think the concepts are terribly difficult to grasp if explained in the correct way. I don't think it's necessary that each user be well versed in the intricacies of TCP or cryptography. But I do think that it's important that each user takes responsibility to protect himself.
