> ... don't understand consent.

The word you're looking for is "respect". They understand consent, the same as JBS* understands animal rights.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JBS_N.V.

It is almost the standard:

    Q: Does <company> understand consent?
    A: No / Maybe Later

but the Google version is:

    Q: Does <company> understand consent?
    A: No / Maybe Later / we did it anyway, you'll need to search to find out how to turn it off, maybe ask the new AI model we've just back-door installed?

I think they do. They just don’t care. We’re the fleetingly small percentage of nerds in the corner who will notice and complain. Were useful to them for other reasons but we’re not really the concern here.

It’s probably a business misplay to tell the other 99% of users about something they weren’t going to think about. But if by chance it goes awry and there’s outcry, just apologize and commit to do better.

Do you understand consent?

1. Yes

2. Ask me later

Yes, and it is precisely that kind of curation that makes Debian as valuable as it is.