Other services which are also free? Anyone who allows you free access to a service has the right to remove that access at any time, or change the terms, or *gasp* start charging you money. If you don't like it, you don't have to continue using the service. A "bait and switch" requires that you *actually part with some money* first, otherwise you have no standing.

And who'd be stupid enough to do that?

There's nothing hamfisted about it.. people just don't understand that they have no right to demand Google make their products the way *they* want them to be. You don't pay them.. they don't owe you shit. If you don't like their free service then don't fucking use it.

If anything, they're guilty of being too politically correct. They should be just telling the whiners to fuck off.

Sounds like someone didn't go to college.. or even live near a college.

And then what? You think you're going to seize their assets and begin the great worker revolution or something? Heard of offshoring? Watching how much faster it happens as soon as a government turns against industry.

Except she's not "protesting" anything. You have a right to peacefully assemble and petition your government for grievances. You don't have the right to invade private property, bar entrance to private property or create a public disturbance.

That only applies when there's actually people in uniform who you're fighting against.. usually in some sort of declared war.

Exactly.. it's amazing how instantly people forget everything know about language when having pointless semantic arguments.

Heard of the first sale doctrine? Hint, copyright is about copying.

I'm totally ignorant of the issues but I still have an opinion.. welcome, this is what Slashdot is for :)

wow, it's like a battle of wits between two unarmed opponents.

Then you're a fucking retard.

And in the UK you'll go to jail for it.. that's why these riots have been going on for *days*. In other countries the rioters would have dispersed after the first two or three were shot dead.

Where are threads like this in the space stories?

Wouldn't I have to sign up to the service to discover what they're doing with my non-Google+ profile? I hear that if you have a public Google Profile then you can be added to the "circle" of a Google+ user. I have no idea if others can see that someone has added my profile to their circle. So far as I'm aware, Facebook has never done anything like this.. pulled in profile information from other services to add to their social network. I expect the inevitable result of this will be an automated service to badger me to join.. or just an attractive slippery slope of integration.