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Sure, if you don't mind companies selling your data for their profit nobody is taking away that right from you. But for those of us who do mind, there is no opt

by Msasania1993 10y ago

Sure, if you don't mind companies selling your data for their profit nobody is taking away that right from you. But for those of us who do mind, there is no option whatsoever. People who care about Privacy are the ones denied of their choice. If 99% of the service providers I use today are telling me they won't give me service unless I share my data, what kind of choice does that leave me?

sandworm101 10y ago
They will take your data but there isn't anything saying you have to give it to them, or that it must be accurate. Tor, pgp, VPNs, Adblockers, noscript, linux ... there are always choices. Imho we actually live in a bit of a golden age for privacy. Never have there been as many so sophisticated tools available for those who care to use them.
- Loughla 10y ago
  The learning curve and loss of features precludes most average people from enjoying the benefits of the items you list there.
  - Msasania1993 10y ago
    Also, these tech-savvy choices require extra steps to be set up and don't integrate well on all operating systems. Average users simply do not know how to protect themselves, unless they get out of their way to do so.
- robgibbons 10y ago
  I categorically disagree with the premise that we live in anything resembling a golden age of privacy. On the contrary, IMHO we are approaching the clichéd Orwellian system of Big Brother. Don't forget for a second that the privacy tools we currently have only exist due to the rampant and ubiquitous nature of tracking these days. CCTV cameras. "Real Name" policies. Corporate monetization of user data. Third-party cookie networks. Password/data leaks. Doxxing. Tape over laptop webcams. PRISM. TVs with built-in microphones and cameras. Facebook listening to your ambient audio. It is an incessant and relentless reality that everything we say, do, and soon think, is being collated to enable later correlation possibly years from now.
- Bartweiss 10y ago
  Encryption and anti-tracking tools are at a peak, sure, but that's a response to the dark ages of tracking. Privacy tools have developed in direct proportion to the steadily-growing loss of baseline privacy; much of what you list solves privacy issues that simply didn't exist until recently. And yes, I feel capable of choosing how much of my data I give away. But that's a feeling I get by virtue of being a privacy-concerned software developer. To get what I would consider a basic level of control in a web browser requires half a dozen scripts, extensions, or settings changes. Do you really expect someone who's never heard of Javascript to understand why disabling execute-scripts-by-default is an important step for privacy and security? I've had smart, STEM-employed family members ask me to "set up privacy stuff on my computer". Even at a medium-low level (no VPN, no Linux) it takes me a decent amount of time and thought, and I already know the tools and topics I want to deal with. My mom shouldn't need a third college degree to understand how to protect her privacy.

sandworm101 10y ago

They will take your data but there isn't anything saying you have to give it to them, or that it must be accurate. Tor, pgp, VPNs, Adblockers, noscript, linux ... there are always choices. Imho we actually live in a bit of a golden age for privacy. Never have there been as many so sophisticated tools available for those who care to use them.

Loughla 10y ago
The learning curve and loss of features precludes most average people from enjoying the benefits of the items you list there.
- Msasania1993 10y ago
  Also, these tech-savvy choices require extra steps to be set up and don't integrate well on all operating systems. Average users simply do not know how to protect themselves, unless they get out of their way to do so.
robgibbons 10y ago
I categorically disagree with the premise that we live in anything resembling a golden age of privacy. On the contrary, IMHO we are approaching the clichéd Orwellian system of Big Brother. Don't forget for a second that the privacy tools we currently have only exist due to the rampant and ubiquitous nature of tracking these days. CCTV cameras. "Real Name" policies. Corporate monetization of user data. Third-party cookie networks. Password/data leaks. Doxxing. Tape over laptop webcams. PRISM. TVs with built-in microphones and cameras. Facebook listening to your ambient audio. It is an incessant and relentless reality that everything we say, do, and soon think, is being collated to enable later correlation possibly years from now.
Bartweiss 10y ago
Encryption and anti-tracking tools are at a peak, sure, but that's a response to the dark ages of tracking. Privacy tools have developed in direct proportion to the steadily-growing loss of baseline privacy; much of what you list solves privacy issues that simply didn't exist until recently. And yes, I feel capable of choosing how much of my data I give away. But that's a feeling I get by virtue of being a privacy-concerned software developer. To get what I would consider a basic level of control in a web browser requires half a dozen scripts, extensions, or settings changes. Do you really expect someone who's never heard of Javascript to understand why disabling execute-scripts-by-default is an important step for privacy and security? I've had smart, STEM-employed family members ask me to "set up privacy stuff on my computer". Even at a medium-low level (no VPN, no Linux) it takes me a decent amount of time and thought, and I already know the tools and topics I want to deal with. My mom shouldn't need a third college degree to understand how to protect her privacy.