>Call me crazy, but it seems like when you get to use a free service or
website that costs many millions of dollars to develop, giving the company
access to your data is a fairly small price to pay.
Except I don't use Facebook. I don't use any Google service beyond the
occasional visit to Youtube, either. They still try to get my data. The amount
of filters, blacklists and blockers you need to be safe from these leeches is
utterly ridiculous. This has nothing to do with a free internet anymore.
If you consider handing you're data over to a company a "payment" for their
services, then what Facebook, Google and all these other Big Data companies
are doing to the people who don't use their services, yet are still tracked, is
nothing short of theft, and this needs to stop.
Besides, most people aren't even really aware of this "payment". They can't make
an informed choice - and it's of course not in the interest of Google or
Facebook to educate their users about this, even though it's their responsility,
nay, duty - and that needs to be made the law, because otherwise they sure as
hell won't move a finger.
And frankly, I don't give even half a shit for "intelligent services and
minimized user experiences" if they come at the cost of essential liberties. I
don't think I need to reproduce Franklin's famous quote here - it applies to
convenience just the same as to safety.
Except I don't use Facebook. I don't use any Google service beyond the occasional visit to Youtube, either. They still try to get my data. The amount of filters, blacklists and blockers you need to be safe from these leeches is utterly ridiculous. This has nothing to do with a free internet anymore.
If you consider handing you're data over to a company a "payment" for their services, then what Facebook, Google and all these other Big Data companies are doing to the people who don't use their services, yet are still tracked, is nothing short of theft, and this needs to stop.
Besides, most people aren't even really aware of this "payment". They can't make an informed choice - and it's of course not in the interest of Google or Facebook to educate their users about this, even though it's their responsility, nay, duty - and that needs to be made the law, because otherwise they sure as hell won't move a finger.
And frankly, I don't give even half a shit for "intelligent services and minimized user experiences" if they come at the cost of essential liberties. I don't think I need to reproduce Franklin's famous quote here - it applies to convenience just the same as to safety.