Google's apps are also seen as a way for the company to collect data[1] about its users. With the ubiquity of Google's services, it's easy to believe that it knows when you eat, whatever you do, and what you like, but in an interview with NDTV last week, Pichai tried to dismiss the notion.
"We actually don’t know all that! But yeah, the way I think about all that is first of all - [the] biggest risk for data for anyone is security," he explains. "Getting compromised from a security aspect.. so just like your money is safer in the bank or something like that, we work so hard to build some of the most secure systems in the world."
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"So we work very hard to protect your data," Pichai continues. "As a company we realise every single day, you know, users will only use us [if] they trust us as an institution. So, you know, [data privacy] is at the foundation of everything we do. Whenever we build anything new… we start with how do we, in a foundational way, secure and the data give users privacy… on top of that we do everything else."
This has parallels to how people see another central repository of information - the Aadhaar, India's project that aims to give every citizen a unique indentification number. It's something that Pichai sees a lot of potential in, though he agrees that there is a need for checks and balances.
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"You know I can see all the benefits that would come from a system like that - Aadhaar - but I...