[pembrook]

While your point is extremely valid, I think it's interesting how different the reaction would have been to a fun tool like this 15 years ago. I doubt this would be the top comment, which makes me wonder how many startups that grew from fly-by-night experiments into giant companies then would no longer be possible now due to everyone's hyper-sensitivity and risk aversion around anything tech-related (which again, is certainly valid).

Makes me wonder if this cycle of internet innovation is over, and whether we're now going to be subject to 50+ years of stagnation and increasing regulation while the more risk-averse personality types start dominating. Similar to what happened in the automative industry -- think of the insanity and lack of concern for safety that went on at auto companies in 1920s Detroit that also simultaneously allowed for the core innovation and fast iteration in automotive to happen.

[userbinator]

I think it's interesting how different the reaction would have been to a fun tool like this 15 years ago.

My guess would be, even more "do not want". 15 years ago, "cloud" was not even really a thing, and many were understandably very averse to it when it was introduced. If anything, the megacorps have only convinced us to give up more of our privacy since then.

[raxxorraxor]

I have the complete opposite impression. Sure, Facebook an co. do partially depend on people oversharing. But people being careful about their data have seriously turned down their expectations. 10-15 years ago it would be a huge scandal if some software phoned home your software configuration. Today people are ok with unique advertising IDs.

Some say data protection today inhibits development. I do not think there is much merit to arguments of this kind.

I don't even believe the most important innovations wouldn't have been possible with more data protection at all and that includes huge datasets to feed AI.

Maybe the market for data being sold would be smaller. But that isn't innovation really.