Of course they do. Users expect spam filtering, search, and a bunch of other things that require processing.
Yep, that was exactly my take as well. The statement from Google sounds good at a glance, but absolutely leaves open the possibility that they use the data for 100 other things that aren't _directly_ related to advertisement targeting, but that users might be concerned about.
Your use of "primary" paints in a worse light than it really is. From the quote it sounds like they don't use it period for advertising
I'm inclined to think I just added some honesty.
When they've used it in their 'research and development to better understand your preferences and offer you better services' or whatnot, do you seriously believe that isn't to interact with ad targeting and all the other ways they use the models?
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That crosses into personal attack. Please follow the site guidelines.
Did I ask you for an amateur shrink evaluation?
Aspersions aside you have a point about the risk for confirmation bias, but that goes for conserving overly credulous attitudes as well. Everyone can make up their own minds about how to fill the blanks in how Google really handles this data but the track record isn't great for straightforward honesty there.
Re:Google clamps down on free storage
by SAI_Peregrinus on Tuesday October 22, 2019 @01:13PM
(#21326129)
Currently. And no current plans to change in the future. But they could change their plans. It's not a "no advertising as long as you keep paying", it's "no advertising as long as we feel like it."
To me that reads a lot like 'Google does indeed collect, scan, use, read, algorithmically process, mine, analyze, characterize, handle, refine, derive from, and peruse data in G Suite Core Services, but with the primary purpose of doing other stuff with it than direct advertising.'
Sorry, if that's actually not fair this time, but with all the doublespeak about these things for the last decade and a half or so, hedging like that does not inspire confidence.