Comment by goku12

The biggest issue isn't that behemoth companies will try to do bad things. It's in their nature to do as much as they can get away with - even illegal ones - even at a short term loss. The biggest problem is apathy from others. Freedom isn't guaranteed - it's something you always have to fight to protect. It's not a choice.

> They can try targeting ads to me all they want, but good luck to them, I’m not going to book an expensive holiday in the Himalayas

I don't know if this argument is deliberately understating the issue. I'm going to assume it's not. The real cost of pervasive tracking and ad isn't forcing you to buy something. It's much deeper - like increased insurance premiums, denied insurance (based on data that insurance companies buy from data brokers), locked down and unrepairable devices (to force you to consume ads), massive scale political manipulation (like in case of FB and CA), suppression of labor rights and free-market employment (based on racial profiling, search trend analysis etc) and similar. It's going to cost you more than a ticket to the Himalayas - it's just not very obvious.

> Why not the same for digital services in this internet age?

It isn't hard for large companies to capture regulatory bodies. It isn't even effective in open market or even in cases where lives are at stake (recent cases of air crashes is an example). No regulatory body or the government is going to protect your rights unless you demand it. It's their duty, but it isn't going to happen without your insistence.

I can understand how such fights can be very tiring. However, dissuading others is irresponsible. Everyone has the right to ask for a non-dystopian future.