Unfortunately, no, there is not an online resource that explains everything, because most of these system processes have been set up and defined by Motorola.
There was a big stick a while back about a company that was silently installing and sending call and data quality feedback on our phones, CarrierIQ. People grew into a frenzy as reports came in that it was on our phones, etc. etc., and the masses were scared that "OMG We're being spied upon!"
1) VZW does not use CarrierIQs services.
2) The so-called same icon used by the CarrierIQ files and the KIP logger file in our phones is actually a stock icon in Android Gingerbread when no icon is made for an app.
3) No one could show one iota of data being sent from our phones to VZW for any such purposes.
If you're really worried about spying, you should look to ad companies first - they spy a hell of a lot more than carriers and Google..OK, maybe not Google, but if you want no spying from Google, I'd heartily advise that you leave Android as an operating system....
As for your personal information, they aren't in the business to get those - it's more about services and performance - VZW could give a rat's derriere about your personal data, but they are very very very very very very very interested in whether you're able to get your data whenever you want it or not.
And while I can agree that 3rd parties do not qualify on a need to know basis, the advertising is there for a reason - to garner income. Some sites rely heavily on advertising, some don't necessarily rely on it but still make use of it, and some just have it there to make the masses (aka corporate boards) happy.
it's a part of life - your local Cable company / television broadcasters do it all the time - you subscribe to their service / watch their channel in their area, and you'll often see local advertisements hat supersede the national advertisement being broadcast by the national (parent / affiliate) channel. Demographics are always taken into account - if you think your credit card companies, banks, etc. are not releasing anonymous demographic information every time you make a purchase or payment, you're sadly mistaken. Demographics, however, is not only for advertising - it's also used heavily in market research, which can be anything from product analysis to new product development to increasing market presence to so many other things.
Now, playing devil's advocate to what I just wrote (and this is how I really feel) I don't like seeing the advertisements on my screen b/c it's already small as it is - but I can't do a whole lot about it, b/c some of these ads are also supporting developers that make some really great apps, and some of them do not have a way to remove the advertising via a donation link and / or paid version of the app. So, while I hate ads, I also respect my devs and keep them on so they can make a little income off of my use of their blood sweat and tears. Once I find a way to selectively block ads in web pages and the like without blocking ads in dev apps, I'll be a lot happier.
Finally, a parting note: The only way to stay off the grid is to completely go without technology - anytime you connect to the internet, any time you're using your phone, any time you use a credit card, bank card, check, etc. - you're on the grid.
