"The government can listen in on people's internet activity without help from google, if they choose"
Really? How can they do that?
Sure, they can go to the ISP of the person and track their online activity but that isn't what you are referring to, is it?
There were stories that NSA computers were keeping track of anybody who used certain words over the net during the clinton years, and the FBI set up some big computers too. I don't know how much of it was true (how would anyone know?) but there was plausibility.
This also covers most phone conversations because of the use of wireless relays.
Try doing a google search of "NSA eavesdropping."