More and more devices are coming with SIM cards baked in. You don’t pay for them, the manufacturer does, but they harvest your data whether you give them internet or not. For now I’m only aware of cars having these, but I suspect it’s just a matter of time before even cheap consumer gadgets have this too.
Really, the only answer is privacy regulation. Any other solution (just let the free market handle it, don’t give it internet access, etc) is not workable in the long term.
Only fools think the government is going to save them from corporate abuses, because they're in league. Half the time the government is the one forcing them to do it.
I'll care about protecting consumers once I figure out how to protect myself. Consumer products are an optimization algorithm where people get what they're willing to tolerate. You can either profit off it or build something better. I don't have a whole lot of respect for people who try to impose their will on the world through purely political means.
Really, the only answer is privacy regulation. Any other solution (just let the free market handle it, don’t give it internet access, etc) is not workable in the long term.