Many here on HN are saying that such a record of what tech companies do with data is a) impossible because complex systems have evolved over time and the (histo

Many here on HN are saying that such a record of what tech companies do with data is a) impossible because complex systems have evolved over time and the (historical) flows of data are unknown and b) unnecessary because the need to know what happens to data is not relevant to the user or the questioner. The old models of processing data at scale to extract value, as FAANG has been doing, are eventually going to come to an end. Maybe not where there is a power imbalance, such as between Facebook and their users, but at least where users of services have more clout and are paying for the product. I see this in B2B IoT solutions where big customers are very picky about how telemetry is collected by product vendors and, if not pushing back hard, are at least choosing not to use services that are not clear on how data is processed and handled. The amount of data that we all see, every day, that is grossly mishandled may signal the end of the ML and AI goldrush. You can only build models, and run data through models, with the consent of the owner of that data. Large producers of data (think vehicle fleet operators) are beginning to take ownership of their data, and are only _licensing_ it to processors for very specific purposes. In the example of vehicle fleet operators, they may only want route planning, and not have their data used to sell them tyres based on mileage. Also, while governments may be busy with other stuff currently, at some point they may decide to turn on the regulatory screws.