But if we've come to the point where surveillance and social media have merged to the point that no one can post notes to their family and friends without leaving a trail of state-level surveillance data that is kept forever, well then we've all already lost.
I can assure you, the advertising industry knows vastly more about US persons than any state-level surveillance does.
Why do you think they’re allowed to exist, and haven’t been legislated out of existence? Public-private partnerships provide a great model for state-level actors to effectively do what they aren’t “allowed” to do...
The reality is very simple, these companies dominate the advertising industry (which is huge) so they make a lot of money. That's all it comes down to.
I can assure you, the advertising industry knows vastly more about US persons than any state-level surveillance does.