Which warnings? I ask the question earnestly. As a developer with a clear sense of how the internet is structured, what browsers are and are not capable of doing etc I know the warnings myself. But for the population at large? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything that’s explained the consequences of pervasive advertising infrastructure to non tech inclined folks, much less something placed somewhere that people will actually see it.
Until recently people simply were not aware that personally identifiable location data was gathered on them to the extent that you’d be able to detect a visit to an abortion clinic. Or that period tracking apps are sending data in a way that can be later bought on a free market and tied to personal identification.
This is a failure of regulation, education and a media beholden to tech giants. I think we in the tech industry have some reflection to do as well. We understand the implications better than most yet many of us dutifully completed our work tickets to add tracking pixels to every page of the company site. We can’t do that then turn around and say “what, you mean you didn’t know that a Facebook Like button tracks every web page you look at even if you don’t click on it?!” and expect to be taken seriously.
Placing the blame at the feet of individuals that aren’t equipped to understand is a mistake, IMO.