Because they don't know they're giving out their data voluntarily, or don't understand the repercussions.
In some idealized notion or legal fiction everyone might at all times be perfectly aware what they're signing up to, the reality is much messier.
Virtually no one reads the fine print, because it's obfuscated. If you have bad eyesight and are not computer literate (a good portion of the population) you will most likely not even be able to read the TOS on the average webpage. Most people have no idea what "cookies" are, or what "GDPR" means. Even if they did, there's a huge opportunity cost to doing so. [1]
Then there's network effects.
When enough people do something, it becomes a norm. I have been required by many state institutions to go through private networks whenever I need to administer something online. Yes, ones that use tracking, because they have some private/public agreement. Likewise, if everyone around a person uses Facebook, and they use it to organize their social life, then they will expect that person to do the same -- it's collectively cheaper for them than it's expensive for the individual.
I've been surprised by the amount of times I've gotten texts "oh you aren't coming"? To some event I never even heard about, because apparently everything goes through Facebook nowadays. "My cell? Just search me on Facebook."
Don't confuse tracking cookies with people opening social profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter posting their lives on the internet publicly in written, audio and visual formats. It is false to say that people don't know they're giving out their data when they're consciously doing so.
> It is false to say that people don't know they're giving out their data when they're consciously doing so.
That's missing the point, it's about the data they're unconsciously giving out. For example, my parents did not know that their Android phone could silently track their location. And even the stuff they do consciously put out often comes with strings attached.
They don't fully understand what they are doing because it's all a bit abstract and has no analogy in daily life. Well, maybe some guy (let's call him Zark Muckerberg) following you around watching you is a good metaphor.
In some idealized notion or legal fiction everyone might at all times be perfectly aware what they're signing up to, the reality is much messier.
Virtually no one reads the fine print, because it's obfuscated. If you have bad eyesight and are not computer literate (a good portion of the population) you will most likely not even be able to read the TOS on the average webpage. Most people have no idea what "cookies" are, or what "GDPR" means. Even if they did, there's a huge opportunity cost to doing so. [1]
Then there's network effects.
When enough people do something, it becomes a norm. I have been required by many state institutions to go through private networks whenever I need to administer something online. Yes, ones that use tracking, because they have some private/public agreement. Likewise, if everyone around a person uses Facebook, and they use it to organize their social life, then they will expect that person to do the same -- it's collectively cheaper for them than it's expensive for the individual.
I've been surprised by the amount of times I've gotten texts "oh you aren't coming"? To some event I never even heard about, because apparently everything goes through Facebook nowadays. "My cell? Just search me on Facebook."
[1] http://techland.time.com/2012/03/06/youd-need-76-work-days-t...