I'm curious, do you think Google should operate in the United States? There are laws that could be used to force Google to say turn over your private data. Would not then the same argument apply?
On the other hand, the value of being able to use Google, despite its marginal risk, seems quite a good "exchange" for many people (that is, the usefulness of say search being weighed off against getting rounded up in say a war on child porn). I think there is a value judgement that is much more nuanced than what you are suggesting.
See, when our (US) government does it ...it's okay. It's just those other evil countries that are wrong when they demand user data from an Internet company.
Yes, there is certainly a value judgement here. This is why I was careful to use the term "poor human rights record". I'm sure there are many that think the US has a poor human rights record, and I know there is always room for improvement, but I'm certainly not afraid to use my Google account here.
For a more quantifiable ranking of countries, see:
On the other hand, the value of being able to use Google, despite its marginal risk, seems quite a good "exchange" for many people (that is, the usefulness of say search being weighed off against getting rounded up in say a war on child porn). I think there is a value judgement that is much more nuanced than what you are suggesting.