1. For non paid users, it isn't turned back on. But it is turned on if you're a paying user. In these cases it's never the user who switched it off, it was the admin, so since the control is being shifted from admin to user (admin can no longer turn it off for users of workspace apps) its kind of like a brand new setting for them.

2. True but it's somewhat useful to be able to use your account on different devices and retain your history.

> 1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off.

No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow.

> 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.

Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in.

> No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow.

That doesn’t contradict that it was switched off intentionally.

> Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in.

Logging in to what? Are you saying you want your search history synced between your browsers? If so, that’s a solved problem that doesn’t require Google to track you.

The search history in this context is Gmail and drive in app search history. This has absolutely nothing to do with your browser.

Then it’s a trivial feature that you can simply ask people if they want to enable rather than opting them in when they opted out.

The users in question never opted out, their domain admins opted out of a different feature.

And the corollary equally applies: it's a trivial feature with no privacy impact, why require opt-in. I don't want to be spammed with opt-ins every time every app I use adds a trivial new feature. I'd be clicking a dozen boxes a day.

It does have a privacy impact.

In what way?

Keep in mind all the user data collected is still under the workspace data use agreement which is very strict and disallows using the data for pretty much anything that isn't directly providing that service to that user/organization.

Easy, just store your search history in a Blockchain and pull it down every time you log in.

Why a blockchain? Or is this sarcasm?