I totally agree with this. But are personalized Facebook ads really an example of this?
And what's the solution when the government gets too much power? Especially in a "democracy," when the people have implicitly given approval for this by voting in the people who are attempting to consolidate power?
Elections and courts. Compared to private entities, the government is very restricted in what it can do. When a company says, "We won't share your data with anyone," there's nothing you can do when they change their mind. But you can sue the government for damages.
Companies can’t point guns at me and put me in a cage. They can’t go into my home without my permission and search my stuff. And if I don’t want to deal with a company, I can simply stop interacting with them. If I don’t want to deal with a government, I have to emigrate and renounce my citizenship.
But they used to, once upon a time, until they were limited from doing so.
> And if I don’t want to deal with a company, I can simply stop interacting with them.
Except when you can't. There's no "stop interacting" for a bunch of things in today's society. Google/Facebook tracks you even when you're not using their products. If you want a non-tech example, try stop interacting with Experian, for instance.
The government is no more or less restricted than a corporation.
> "We won't share your data with anyone," there's nothing you can do when they change their mind
You can, you can sue for breach of contract. If the government tomorrow gets a law passed that they can share or institute a sharing system(like Five Eyes) - you literally can't even sue over anything.
> But you can sue the government for damages.
That's absolutely not true.
In government individuals carry more responsibility than "government". German government can fail to protect your tax data tomorrow and you'll have no way to sue them. You'll be pointed to the individual who'll be blamed and may even go to prison. But you'll get FA.
You have way more chances in winning a lawsuit against a corporation, than "a government".(barring some exceptions)
Yes:
Facebook proven to negatively impact mental health (tau.ac.il)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938622
Facebook collecting people's data even when accounts are deactivated (digiday.com)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817297
Facebook test asks users if they're worried a friend is 'becoming an extremist' (cnn.com)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27714103
Testimony to House committee by former Facebook executive Tim Kendall (house.gov)
