zlacker

It’s infinitely easier to avoid the companies you don’t like than it is to vote out any part of government. You have near zero power to remove someone you don’t like because your vote is worth next to nothing. However, you have full power to avoid the products and services of a company.

>>pb7+(OP)
I mean, if you know how. I once ran across a data product which was Bluetooth mac addresses as they moved through bust streets. Sure it's easy to turn off Bluetooth so that you don't show up in the data, but most people had no idea the collection was happening.

>>pb7+(OP)
> It’s infinitely easier to avoid the companies you don’t like than it is to vote out any part of government.

If you can avoid a company, the fact that there is an acceptable alternative itself says that the market is not monopolized and so there is less chance of abuse.

In the markets where abuse is possible there are often monopolies, or there is illusion of choice like a (colluding or copycatting)duopoly or one where all the "competing" brands being owned by the same parent conglomerate etc.

It is very difficult to participate in the modern economy/world while avoiding certain companies. It might be possible but there are both social and economical costs involved that majority cannot afford.

>>pb7+(OP)
You can avoid the services of Google and Facebook, but you can't avoid their tracking. Every other website you browse will let them know and your family and friends will happily tell them about you.

>>devsda+p7
> If you can avoid a company, the fact that there is an acceptable alternative itself says that the market is not monopolized and so there is less chance of abuse

Avoiding a company doesn't necessarily mean there's an acceptable alternative. I could use no social media and my life wouldn't be much worse or burdensome.

There's very little I can do to prevent the government from doing what it's doing by myself.

>>xigoi+Z7
Of course I can, I can use ublock or pihole or whatever.

>>vasdae+Lb
That doesn't help with the friends and family part. Not to mention that privacy violations should be opt-in, not opt-out.

>>Capric+wa
Sure one can refuse to participate in the "market" altogether but like I said, it is a luxury that not everyone can afford to have due to various personal/social/economic reasons.

>>pb7+(OP)
Bullshit. My government has my data stored on Azure or AWS or Google Cloud. If I would have children their data would be be collected by their Chromebooks through the public school they go to. You wont find a utility provider that doesn't store your private data in some private company's systems. Same for employers.

>>devsda+On
Yes I don't mean to say the companies are easy to avoid in general, but the OP claimed governments can easily be voted out.