Internet superpowers hold sway over what information we see and what we buy. But there’s a step that works toward addressing them all: Americans deserve a national limit on the information companies collect about us. If you want to focus on one broad approach to tackle many of our internet horribles, remember this motto: Just collect less data, period. Companies want to harvest as much data about us as possible because — well, why wouldn’t they? More information could help them target advertisements at us, track high-traffic areas in stores or show us more dog videos to keep us on their site longer.

Source: New York Times July 15, 2020 17:26 UTC