Losing the war against surveillance capitalism letting Big Tech frame the debate
The proposed solution — banning the purchase or sale of personal information — doesn’t go nearly far enough.  It would just cement the existing monopolies on personal information.<p>Here is a better framework:<p>- Make it illegal to collect or store personal information on anyone you don’t have an active business relationship with.<p>- All personal data collection should require an opt in.  The definition of opt in is that it takes at least one more manual step to opt in than opt out, and that the options must be presented with equal prominence.<p>- Selling or purchasing services based on third parties personal information counts as selling or buying the information in the eye of the law.<p>- Buying and selling personal information would be illegal unless the person explicitly authorizes the transfer each time the data is transferred.<p>- Civil penalties for breaking the law would range between 1-10% of global income per transaction, with a cap of 20% of annual gross income per month.  (So one mistake doesn’t completely destroy the company, but ignoring the law does).  Class action waivers or binding arbitration would be disallowed.  (Unless the person whose information was sold could choose the arbitration agency after the fact.)<p>- Authorizing the transfer of information must not be a requirement to receive some other service, etc.<p>- A central registry of all opt ins would be available so individuals could audit their opt ins, and with enough information to assign blame for fraudulent opt-ins (and to protect buyers/sellers when one side of the transaction falsified an opt in).  This would also have a single page to people to cancel all of their existing opt ins.<p>That would start to solve the problem.