I wonder when consent stopped being important? And how that was accomplished. I know the mentality from authority has always been; WE the government can stick

I wonder when consent stopped being important? And how that was accomplished. I know the mentality from authority has always been; WE the government can stick anything into your body, cause we know best. And WE the multinational corporation can stick anything into your devices, cause we know best. But we the consumer seem to have just given up. If i wasn't averse to tinfoil hats I'd say it was something in the water.