I will NEVER use anything related to Google if I can help it. Google is trying to get their tentacles into everything everywhere they can. My provider started using Google email servers instead of their own a few years back just as nearly every other provider has done (I found out after that) at that time probably because Google has offered such a deal for their services that the providers cannot refuse based on cost. Just another way Google increases their often unwanted presence everywhere thy can because they can provide at lower costs what providers cannot on the basis of added advertising revenue for Google. I suppose providing Google with Avast installs is probably lucrative for Avast as well. Google readily admits within their user agreements they virtually "spy" whenever and where ever they can to provide what they call "better services" in their words.
Nope, NO CHROME for me.... Nope, NO GMAIL for me.... Google has already embedded themselves into my internet traffic without me helping them anymore than I have already by simply sticking with my provider who sold out to Google like the rest of them.
If you are concerned about Google tracking your web presence then guess what? So does Yahoo, MSN and AOL. They all do. I am not stating that what Google does is right or wrong it just exists. How do you think search engines target their advertising? It's by a users web usage. Aiming your anger at Google is just wrong. Have you ever "Googled" anything?
To answer your question: NO I try and avoid Google at all costs like I said so I do not search using Google. I know it's popular and the "in thing" to say just "google it" which we hear all the time, but for me I use BING and Yahoo in that order and NOT Google.
I won't even talk about AOL as they've always been a huge problem and have a very long history of being very difficult to remove from a system once a user gets involved with AOL.
As to the others you've mentioned.....
I understand this, but Google is much more intrusive. Do you see providers using Yahoo email servers or MSN servers, NO they have all gone with Google servers. When my provider elected to use Google email servers I then found out that the vast majority of others had done the same thus Google at the time took a giant step to increase their "foot print" regarding tracking.
But that's not even the point because I guess a supporter of Google would call this "good business".
I can testify to
how much more intrusive Google is simply based on REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE.
I've made many REAL LIFE "TESTS" using Yahoo, MSN and Google (via my internet provider email servers).
What I found is if I send "personal" emails to JUST FRIENDS on a subject matter like for example "moving" or "transporting a car" or "purchasing a product" etc etc. the results are the following:
Yahoo and to some extent MSN results are that I do NOT get totally barraged with emails from companies related to my email sent to friends. In fact I WILL NOT get ANY SPAM using Yahoo web mail and very few if any using Hotmail.
On the other hand
I will on a regular basis get totally barraged with literally 100's of unsolicited emails from companies related to the "personal" topics discussed in emails to friends using the email service involving Google. These are unsolicited SPAM addressed to my Google provider emails with of course made up names (often "Joe Blow" as you might imagine a fake name used because my email addresses do not include my actual name) that will LAST FOR MONTHS unfortunately. All these emails claim I solicited them of course. And of course then I have to take the time to try and either make it clear I NEVER contacted them or as I often have to do go to the trouble of BLOCKING their email addresses in the end.
I can't tell you how many times my wife and I would wonder how in the world we would start getting unsolicited emails telling us we contacted them that were related just exactly to "personal" emails we had sent only days prior to getting the unwanted amounts of SPAM. This occurred so regularly using our provider emails using Gmail servers that we decided to DO THE "TESTS" I SPOKE OF ABOVE with ALL of our types of email thus comparing Yahoo, Hotmail to Google in the manner I described above.
Fact is, I am reaching my conclusions based on REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE.
Your obviously defending Google and are likely a user of Google which of course is your prerogative. That said, so considering that it is my experience as I said that I get virtually NONE of the SPAM with Yahoo Web Mail like the kind of RELATED SPAM I will get with the Google server related email.
You tell me WHY I get this kind of pattern using Google Email (via providers email servers) versus Yahoo or MSN?