TVs became cheaper thanks to smartification, because networks pay for the privilege of having built-in support, and it more than compensates for the small incre

TVs became cheaper thanks to smartification, because networks pay for the privilege of having built-in support, and it more than compensates for the small increase in material cost. The reason we don't have dumb TVs anymore is that very few people want to pay more for less. About privacy, regulation is an option, but you have to realize that it goes against the will of most customers. The market has told us that people are ready to sell their private life to the highest bidder. We are often saying that it is greedy companies that do that, but in reality, by prioritizing price and features over privacy, that's our choice. There are companies that target the privacy market, and they have their niche. Now, it is wouldn't be the only incidence of regulations that go against what consumers want because of higher goals. For example, people typically don't care about the environment, but it is important, that's why there are regulations in place to force consumers to pay for "greener" things. Same thing for safety, people don't always want to pay for safety (but they still complain later when an accident happen...), so they regulate it. And drugs, people like drugs, but since it is considered bad for them, these are regulated. Should we protect people privacy against themselves? Maybe, there are arguments for and arguments against, culturally, the US would be more likely say "no" and Europe would be more likely to say "yes", I don't really have an opinion.