Quote - ...My question is, Has google gone too far? I remember when (I thought) they where great because they were the only ones who had image search (I'm going back 10 years here) but now I think they are just intrusive bullies.

Oh well, you can always just ignore it. There are far worse things corporations do than collect information about preferences and throwing them back in your face, to be honest. In the realm of today's aggressive software/internet/marketing world, this really is small potatoes.

Me, I get upset when a movie I purchased and have a receipt for won't play on a given device because some corporation wants to decide what I can and can't play my DVD on. Or how MANY people can watch this DVD at the same time (and will spy on me to make sure I comply, or shut the device down if too many people are sitting watching it!). Or whether I can make a backup of the DVD in case it gets lost or stolen. Or - much the WORST of ALL - criminalising me for doing things things mentioned above those corporations don't allow.

That enrages me. A targeted ad based on something I'd surfed to before is really pretty much nothing compared to that.

Monterey/Mint21.x/Win10 - Blender3.x - PP11.3(cm) - Musescore3.6.2

Wir sind gewohnt, daß die Menschen verhöhnen was sie nicht verstehen
[it is clear that humans have contempt for that which they do not understand] 

Metaphor of Chooks