I am not categorically against ads on online platforms (or offline for that mater), but I do have a problem with the power these companies have gained by gather

I am not categorically against ads on online platforms (or offline for that mater), but I do have a problem with the power these companies have gained by gathering and analyzing fine-grained data-points on us and our behavior. The fact that most people only have a very vague idea about how these systems work and how much data is collected is worrying. The fine grained control over who you can show ads to is a problem in itself and a tool ripe for exploitation by anyone who wants to nudge certain demographics in any direction they want, political or otherwise. We have seen several examples on how wrong this can go already. > I don’t agree that belief in pseudoscience, rumor, or superstition is anymore prevalent than it was before social media. I have seen up close and personal how a combination of Facebook and Youtube's algorithms have cleverly identified and massively amplified certain tendencies in people I'm close to. That is a personal, political and societal problem we should not ignore.