This is an open question on how to get the masses to care…
Unfortunately, if other people don’t protect their privacy it affects those who do, because we’re all connected (e.g. other family members, friends). So it presents a problem of how do you get people who don’t care, to care?
I started the Rebel Tech Alliance nonprofit to try to help with this, but we’re still really struggling to convert people who have never thought about this.
(BTW you might need to refresh our website a few times to get it to load - no idea why… It does have an SSL cert!)
So I hope we can have a useful discussion here - privacy is a team sport, how do we get more people to play?
First of all, it’s May 4th so happy Star Wars day Han Solo!
Your points land… hard. Yes it is so messed up that privacy has been pushed on the end user as ‘their problem to fix with consent choice’. As you all know here it’s not a real choice.
Yes this should all be solved at the regulatory / gov level, but whilst the EU has been doing some great things recently, and the US has just kicked Apple and Google and Meta in the balls for antitrust, it’s never enough - there’s just too much lobbying and money washing around.
So, sadly, it does come down to the individual. My position is “if huge numbers of people starve the system of their behavioural data, then the surveillance economy is less effective, and perhaps other business models will have a chance”. Do you think that holds water?
And may The Force also be with you.
And don’t take it personally, it’s a fair question with an answer that it’s exactly why people get degrees in things like public policy.
The way to “solve” this for the average person is two steps: services like DeleteMe making them feel like they can “get back” their privacy. Second is dumbed down education with easy means. 1 year ago, uBlock did amazing stuff, and only 33% of internet users were using it. Exclude 25% of the remainder as enterprise setups not allowing extensions, and you still have 40+% of people online just rawdogging MSN and Yahoo and Drudge Report. Like, have you seen that internet lately? It’s fucking intolerable. But the same peoe that install searchbars won’t install uBlock. You have to be aggressive explaining value for 10 seconds of time.
It’s a genuine campaign that takes time and alluring promos.