DOJ seeks to break up Google ad business after illegal monopoly ruling

Highly unlikely that the current administration follows through on this unless one of his benefactors wants to buy it for a discount, with a nice kickback for him.

I find it astonishing that regulators are not addressing the problem of surveillance of private citizens by companies. The one notable exception is the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s as if lawmakers and representatives around the world are utterly unaware of the appalling surveillance capitalism business model of companies like Google, Facebook, and others. I really think that is the problem: most people, including politicians, believe that Google and Facebook are giving out free lunches.

Alex_V said:

I find it astonishing that regulators are not addressing the problem of surveillance of private citizens by companies. The one notable exception is the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s as if lawmakers and representatives around the world are utterly unaware of the appalling surveillance capitalism business model of companies like Google, Facebook, and others. I really think that is the problem: most people, including politicians, believe that Google and Facebook are giving out free lunches.

It's not so hard to understand when one finds out that the government buys that data from companies to make an end run around Constitutional restrictions on acquiring that data themselves, which requires judges and warrants.

beowulfschmidt said:

It's not so hard to understand when one finds out that the government buys that data from companies to make an end run around Constitutional restrictions on acquiring that data themselves, which requires judges and warrants.

Do you have any evidence for that? I’ve never heard of anything of the sort, except that probably the Chinese state’s has user data from domestic companies, and maybe Russia too. The point is that Google, Facebook have more data on us than KGB or the East German Stasi had on their citizens, and it’s not a problem. I just don’t get it. 

Alex_V said:

beowulfschmidt said:

It's not so hard to understand when one finds out that the government buys that data from companies to make an end run around Constitutional restrictions on acquiring that data themselves, which requires judges and warrants.

Do you have any evidence for that? I’ve never heard of anything of the sort, except that probably the Chinese state’s has user data from domestic companies, and maybe Russia too. The point is that Google, Facebook have more data on us than KGB or the East German Stasi had on their citizens, and it’s not a problem. I just don’t get it. 

https://yalelawandpolicy.org/end-running-warrants-purchasing-data-under-fourth-amendment-and-state-action-problem

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/closing-data-broker-loophole

https://action.aclu.org/send-message/stop-governments-massive-privacy-invasion

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/08/2024-31486/preventing-access-to-us-sensitive-personal-data-and-government-related-data-by-countries-of-concern

https://www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/solving-the-transatlantic-data-dilemma/chapter-3-government-access-to-personal-data-held-by-the-private-sector/

https://www.wakeforestlawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tokson_Final.pdf

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/us-government-buys-data-americans-little-oversight-report-finds-rcna89035

https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when-the-government-buys-sensitive-personal-data

Google "government buying private data to avoid constitutional restrictions" if you need more.

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