[u32480932048]

It's even weirder when people seemingly forget their self-preservation instincts to go on the internet and simp for Big Tech.

C'mon, y'all, Elon Musk, The Zuck, Henry Kissinger - these people work very hard to give us the lifestyle we want. The least we can do is give them a little of our data, if not our money. Right? Right?

I, for one, am honored that my every interaction is stored in some datacenter in northern Utah. It just makes me feel safe at night.

[nickpp]

> give us the lifestyle we want

Actually, they do. Companies and their employees all over the world are giving us the products and services we want. In exchange we're freely giving them our money and/or some "data".

When offered the choice, it seems most people would rather pay with their data. We've been told for years now this is not good for us, but I am still waiting to see the downsides - all I get are some personalised ads.

[georgeplusplus]

>>> all I get are some personalised ads.

It’s hard to notice because the effects are insidious and very slow.

What does happen is they sell your data to companies or foreign governments that have absolutely zero interest in you or your families welfare and use it to craft policy to further entrench themselves.

If you are waiting for evidence that is extremely black and white and personalized like an attack that simply is not gonna happen.

Take tiktok for example

Tiktok gathers data on US demographics to steer discussion and politics or sow discourse. Watching tiktok videos you probably aren’t thinking, wow China really wants to see the west fall. Only if you understand their foreign policy would you connect the dots. rest assured they are using everything available to them to do so.

[nickpp]

> What does happen is they sell your data to companies

I don't know, more personalized ads?!

> foreign governments

> Take tiktok for example

TikTok's is a foreign government operation.

> steer discussion and politics or sow discourse

I am still waiting for proof they can actually do that. I remember all the scandal around Cambridge Analytica but then nobody said anything anymore when it turned out they weren't able to do what they boasted they could.

Yes, we should be afraid of governments getting our data and using it against us. But they have many other ways of getting the data and they don't exactly obey laws - they are above the law by definition. So I don't see how laws against private companies can help here.

[georgeplusplus]

Small nitpick Tiktok is a private company that serves a foreign government operation.

Why would they resort to breaking the law when they are getting the data legally? Doesn’t make sense