Due to various reasons I am recently less involved in ER activities, but I still read most of the stream. My observation is, that all working papers published for cooperation are consistently based on various corporate services - mostly from Google. I totally understand the convenience of that - people, trained in mainstream political and corporate environment, have deep habit of using certain tools, without even considering an alternative. Myself, I still use Google search and some other global corpo-services.
However, in context of recent tensions around PRISM and outright invigilation from US Government and US-born corporations, consistent usage of by-design surveilled applications and services, more and more becomes a statement. And quite fundamental one, I would say.
I am not in a position to judge, whether it is good or bad for Edgeryders to use this or that tool. I just hope the choice will be made consciously. There is a growing list of proven alternative solutions, which can be considered (http://prism-break.org/). I just leave it here…