> I would actually claim that not only did they consent, they did so in a legally binding way through the terms of service (that they didn't read). Those 5 bil

> I would actually claim that not only did they consent, they did so in a legally binding way through the terms of service (that they didn't read). Those 5 billion people don't all come from the same jurisdiction. Under GDPR, no consent for trading your data can come through an implicit, coerced action like consenting to terms of services. Under German law, clauses of terms of services are invalid if they aren't what a reasonable consumer would expect. > I'm as guilty as everyone else here, but the fact is there are options to keep yourself out of these systems if you want to - nobody is forcing you to use a credit card or be on the internet. I'd argue that having Internet access is quickly approaching the status of a human right (or should be), and buying things only is also getting increasingly common. Thing is, there doesn't have to be this amount of data collection just to browse the Internet and buy things only. I'm also not sure if lots of companies having dossiers on me is actually improving my experience anywhere. It seems likely they'll just use it sell me crap that I don't really want or need, simply by them being very persuasive and me having limited will power.