[avgcorrection]

> Is "companies are using your reading history to target ads" really the same level of dangerous as "your government wants to read all your messages"?'

... And why do you immediately navigate to this dichotomy? What purpose does it serve? Does bifurcating the issue serve any purpose?

I can't read minds so I don't know why you in particular are doing it, but the general answer to that is that private interests have waged a decades-long propaganda campaign with the message that everything that the government does is automatically suspect and nefarious, while everything some private interest group is completely okay.

But this is a false choice: just say no to both groups violating your privacy.