[Eddy_Viscosity2]

Step 1. Force companies to develop the censorship/surveillant technology by passing a law to make it available. Claim its to 'save the children' and/or 'fight terrorism', whichever threat is currently the most scary.

Step 2. Make the use of the technology optional, and fairly non-intrusive to ease acceptance and normalization.

Step 3. Make the technology mandatory for certain groups/areas like all schools or certain businesses. Or for people who work for them. Also incremental changes are applied which makes the system a bit more restrictive, and bit more surveillant.

Step 4. Make the technology mandatory for everyone (except politicians and certain private persons like CEOs of big corps)

Step 5. Continue incremental changes until the system completely transfers all real power and control of the system from the individual to the corporation/state.

[earthnail]

With that way of arguing you can’t have any laws or regulation at all.

[Eddy_Viscosity2]

Sure you can. You can pass laws that require companies respect a 'do not track' setting in browsers and don't collect data or make you jump through 'accept cookies' hoops. You can make right to repair laws. You can pass laws that require interoperability like making phones use a standard cable (they did this and I think its great). You can pass laws making companies like MS at least make available a no-tracking, no subscription, no ads, no telemetry, no bloatware, no AI, no bullshit version of windows OS for regular individuals at reasonable cost. They can do stuff that like that.