[canadaduane]

These are good. But I think there is a tipping point where the asymmetry of power (millions invested in databases, information gathering, algorithm development, etc.) pushes against the tiny power an individual has. There is no agent on the individual's side that has power (time, money, smarts) enough to counter the onslaught. It's a problem of degrees.

[SpicyLemonZest]

What’s wrong with that? Certainly advertisers can do bad or irresponsible things with personal data, but the mere fact that they’re shaping preferences doesn’t seem like a huge problem. It’s not like our pre-advertising preferences are an edenic blank slate.