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Narland wrote:

thanks. first thing to do when buying any new product -- delete the spyware and cripple the coms.

This is a good practice, but broadly limited by lack of knowledge - either the knowledge of the value of such action or the knowledge of how to properly bring this about. In this case, the method is fairly straight forward - refuse the terms of the OnStar Smart Driver subscription service or similar (although sometimes this is just a pretense and they'll use your data anyway, and then there's Honda which allegedly doesn't allow an opt-out according to the article). In other cases, knowledge required to delete the spyware and cripple the coms is limited to those who have spent time gaining enough information to flash a new ROM, install a new OS, use different software, adopt different social media, forego the internet of things, forego the internet of bodies (shudder), use and modify home networks, Pi-holes, etc.

Narland wrote:

Most of what the Federal govt has done since the rise Progressivism is unconstitutional overreach. The answer is for the govt to respect the individual's right to his own person, and any breach of such (eg, requiring eulas without the ability to negotiate line by line) as fraud and extortion under the UCC (which imnsho it already is.) -- selling someone else's data without prior contractual agreement face to face with itemized reimbursment and receipt a tort at least, and a felony at worst.

While I would love the ability to have more negotiating power on the side of consumers, I do have that general concern about government imposing itself in negotiations upon consenting parties who should theoretically be competent to enter into contract on their own. Moreover, I see this as another opportunity for the government to find new ways to seize powers for itself, while simultaneously helping to drive the problem of surveillance for self serving purposes. In other words, this is ripe for abuse as a classic dialectical tactic.

Regardless of the wisdom of government intervention, I don't think any wide-scale solution exists, whether with or without government, without a culture that values privacy and proactively seeks it out. And so, here's my periodic contribution to promoting that culture:

Psychological Impact of Surveillance
https://odysee.com/@NaomiBrockwell:4/Impact-of-surveillance:b

The current state of privacy is bad. Surveillance today is pervasive, and the effects of this surveillance on the fabric of society is profound. We need to make sure we’re fully aware of the consequences of creating a world without privacy.

If we want to reclaim privacy in the digital age, the answer is not to throw out our devices, it’s to truly embrace technology, and leverage all the new, cutting edge privacy and encryption technologies being developed every day.

We are empowered human beings. And many of us aren't just passive enjoyers of technology -- we have a say in the direction that this technology will take, and are helping write its future. It's in our power to make sure that the future we create is the best possible timeline, not the worst.

So let’s be intentional about the kind of future we want.