I'd like to address the concept of "ads are creepy" which you will hear often. It's a false equivalence. Most prominently you'll see the flag under "privacy se

I'd like to address the concept of "ads are creepy" which you will hear often. It's a false equivalence. Most prominently you'll see the flag under "privacy settings" something like "don't show me relevant ads"; this is obviously a manipulative placebo. Ads are not the problem. That creepy feeling is the awareness that "they know everything about you", or literally how your vivisected intellect is presented in a marketplace for all bidders to insert their ideas. They will continue surveillance and attention assault whether you let them show you a hint or not. They will continue to sell your identity, behavioral patterns, associates, interests, finances, grades, location, moods, biometrics, and anything else they can monetize. They will continue to attempt to alter your mental state and force you into doing things you wouldn't ordinarily do. However you set that "relevant ads" button, you can be sure the trillion dollar corporation will not lose a penny when you check that box; they'll show you a different, equally profitable, ad, and your data firehose is still for sale.