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Comment by Sir_Substance | Hacker News Reader

>We as European businessmen were and still are unable to generate the same kind of innovation as the US

I don't want US innovation. Thanks for the offer.

Does that mean you avoid services like facebook or google? Many of those innovations are based on data collection and using that to make customer segments to sell targeted ads. Without that model you may be asked to pay a few dollars or see additional ads that are more likely to be less interesting.

>Does that mean you avoid services like facebook or google?

Like the fucking plague. You should too.

Does that mean you avoid services like facebook or google?

Plenty of us do.

I'm afraid it's a small "plenty" but as a European data point I'm using an Android phone right now. I'm not logged in any Google service with the exception of Google Play. My mail is not on Gmail. I'm not logged in Facebook too and I don't have their app. However I do have their Pages and Messenger apps because of work. Maybe I could ditch Messenger because almost nobody I know uses it. Everybody is on WhatsApp (another Facebook property) and a few people are on Telegram (developers). Could I do without WhatsApp? Maybe but it would be hard. I'm almost not using Facebook anymore because it's became so boring after 10 years of the same stuff.

>Does that mean you avoid services like facebook or google?

No. Can't. I can't do my job without Google and my social life wouldn't survive without Facebook (messenger, groups, events). Using these services is not voluntary at this point.

>Using these services is not voluntary at this point.

Of course it is. You just don't want to because it's not convenient.

Eating food is not mandatory either, but it's very convenient.

If you don't eat, your life ends

If you never get on Facebook again, what? You have to write snail-mail letters or use group MMS?

How has HN become an argument for why eating food is not in fact mandatory?

I avoid them like I avoid a wildfire. Have done for nearly 5 years after I came to terms with the scale of the data collection they were performing.

So you don't need that new law?

I'm not a child but I'd rather have children protection laws. Fragile as American ego they should say.

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