Insurance companies and the like don't need these backdoor data brokers (at least for legit needs), because they can just go through legit channels. What legitimate need would a bank or insurance broker have for your IP address history, or secret fine geolocation history, or browsing history, or product interest?

Plenty of illegitimate reasons though, eh?

The data brokers being discussed are huge problem because companies (and nations) use this information - both individually, and in aggregate - to work against your and our interests, and into theirs. This data is valuable because it is NOT going through legitimate, constrained channels.

And even if you think 'nothing bad could happen' with the current administration, what if Trump wins again? Because that is not a zero probability event.

And that is without counting that Russia and China are of course using these same data brokers for their purposes right now, and will do so during the coming elections too. They would be fools not to, they'll just get better at not getting caught like they did last time.

This isn't hypothetical slippery slope stuff either - this is the norm now.

These brokers are for the low-quality-but-useful-directionally 'protected' data which legit channels aren't allowed to have for very good reasons. There aren't 300+ 'big tech' entities.

Like religious/political affiliations (a Jew? Muslim? Democrat in a Red state, Conservative in a Blue one), gender/sex/whatever (LGBTQ or not - both are hot button right now depending on where you live), porn browsing habits, illegal-drug-site-habits, trying-to-get-an-abortion browsing, do-you-have-a-girlfriend on the side location data, or are-you-working-during-work-hours browsing data, etc.

These things can and do get people targeted and/or killed, depending on where they live and their personal situation. If you don't have to worry about it, congrats - but a large portion (probably most) of society does or will at some point.

The low data quality is just as likely to get you personally targeted too for something you aren't, and good luck disproving it, since the folks looking at the data aren't really supposed to even have it to begin with.

In many cases it is as 'benign' as getting you to pay for something you otherwise wouldn't, even if you can't afford it.

In others, it is directing targeted propaganda at you to influence your core political beliefs, incite rage, manipulate emotions and behaviors, and influence your personal and professional activities in ways that are often against your individual interests. In many cases, against our societies interests too.

Hell, at one point on Youtube I clicked on some random video and got targeted with a super manipulative female voiced 'do girls laugh at you because your dick is too small?' ad.

I've also seen 'Girlfriend, your makeup is ugly and that is why guys think you're a Ho, buy our product' ads too.

That wording is not hyperbole either. The voice acting was even more impressively manipulative.

If I could have gotten a recording of it, you would not be saying what you're saying right now.

And those are far from the only malicious ads out there. The entire population is being bombarded with them. Many of the political ads even have outright falsehoods in them.

I've also seen the ads and videos Trumpers get - from insane conspiracy theory to barely couched calls for political violence. I've had people try to connect with me on the political violence front in person twice in one area near California. And not in a 'hah, what nutjobs' kind of way, but in a 'hey man, you prepared for shit getting real?' serious kind of way. And yes, they had access to firearms.

I'm sure somewhere, someone is thinking up how to do a blackmail-styled 'we know you watch bestiality-granny-incest porn, pay up for our protection plan or we'll email the proof to your parents' ads, if they haven't already figured it out.

I also have an acquaintance in a conservative area all the sudden start learning how to speak Russian. She knows no Russians, and has no plans to visit Russia. If that doesn't raise red flags in this environment, you're not paying attention.

Personally, while manipulative dick size jabs or calls to doomsday conspiracy theories and violence are not anything that triggers more than an eyebrow raise from me, near as I can tell 95%~ of the population doesn't have the experience and whatever-else-you-call-it someone like me has to be able to just laugh and walk away. Or tell when they actually want something, vs when they are being manipulated to want something.

Those that can, probably paid in blood and treasure. I know I did. You probably don't want to know what it takes to get there, and it doesn't scale to the level of a society.

And with every platform actively fighting adblockers, and mobile ad blocking being... not good? This is not going to be pretty.

Population wise though, barring some kind of dictatorship (which would likely just make it worse), I guess we'll all have to figure it out, or be crushed. Or toss our phones in the trash, I guess.

Are you so insulated you don't see this harm happening?

If so, I recommend you hit up youtube or facebook in a clean browser and do some searching around. It won't take long for concerning things to start coming your way, regardless of what gender/sex/political affiliation you are, though I'd recommend going outside of your normal path so you can see the crazy in a clearer fashion. It's easy to get frog boiled if we don't change things up.

I have yet to go long in ANY direction though without getting whacked by something clearly manipulative.

And if you have seen these things, why would you not care about this?

Because it is an existential threat to everyone. Regardless of how tough any individual is at dealing with this, no man is an island. At least Nazi, USSR, and similar propaganda had to attempt to deal with population wide Overton window type constraints, so it could only be so aggressive.

These situations are closer to having your own NKVD 'friend' following you around all day with a detailed file from the Stasi.

It is already not going well for people's mental health or Society, and it will get worse.