In all seriousness though as you say no one is invicible, I think one of the reasons Google have done so well is that they keep this in the forefront of their collective mind and keep thinking of innovative ways to use the data they have.

Google own you.

If we widen this debate out and consider the difference between open and closed systems; what is it that makes them so different? Essentially, in my opinion, it boils down to ownership of data.

In a Closed system, you purchase the right to complete privacy and IP protection. A Closed system is also known as a ‘licensing model’, which provides it’s customers the piece of mind that their data is “private”, but at a (often higher) cost. It stands to reason, therefore, that an Open system is the exact opposite; you waive a certain amount of your right to privacy and IP, but get the software for free. Price is not the only benefit here though, Open systems are also often higher quality, more feature packed, updated more frequently, can be more secure, much more interoperable with both Open and Closed systems and the vendors typically listen to their customer base much more closely.

Now if we turn back to Google, they own your data, but only while you let them! Because of the fact they control your data, you will only let them do so while you TRUST them. Furthermore, because Open systems are, by their very nature, easy to leave, a breach of trust can be devastating.

Nevertheless, I think there is undeniable trend towards Open systems … for now… The rise of free Cloud Based Software and Services/the millions of API’s out there/Google/Firefox are all prime examples.

All networks are designed for sharing, so let’s make that happen!