this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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No, it's the supply side cornering the market. If there was two similar mouses on the shelf, and one said "no crappy spyware bundled", the average consumer would buy that. That's what they teach the "free market" is, and how free market capitalism should solve this problem.
But free markets don't really exist, the better mouse without crappy spyware doesn't either, so people need to come together and force corporations to respect the social contract. One might call this governmental regulation. That's where the answer is.
So then the problem is not consumers, it is citizens. Because how do you expect government regulations to come about if citizens are not asking for it? Citizens and consumers are generally the same people.
My point is more about "vote with your wallet" is stupid, you should vote with your ... vote.
Then again, some places don't offer the plurality of vote choices that would make a democracy function properly, so privacy regulations can't be voted for. I mean if all your choices are Putin or Putin; or Trump or Biden; what do you do to regulate companies to preserve privacy?
Activism is the answer I guess.
The logic is still somewhat circular, given that ordinary people mostly do not vote for Pirates even if they have the choice, and they do not ask their politicians for privacy regulations, much less bother joining a party or running for election.
And if in a democracy your choice is Putin or Putin, who ultimately is to blame for that? Was Putin parachuted into his position by foreign agents? Political systems, whatever their exact nature, are ultimately dependent on the responsibility of their citizens. And, well, it seems that in most places citizens, like consumers, are just not very responsible.
Activism is an answer, agreed on that.