Everyone seems to be liable for each others' actions and content, yet simultaneously we don't own our own data.
The internet is a tool. Rather than putting ourselves at risk by standing on a street corner shouting our message to the world, or using controlled mass media streams such as TV and newspapers (which themselves are always at risk of being sued), we can "anonymously" communicate to millions, with very little risk to our personal safety or finances. There are few (if any) laws or commercial control worldwide which govern our right to so called "free speech" online, unless it affects profits.
This had led to opposing forces: Web technology companies (ISPs, AI, social media, search engines etc.) want us to share as much as possible, particularly emotionally-driven content. They use tools to deeply inspect data for tracking and profiling, and lobby government for the right to own and retain this data--all for profit purposes. Simultaneously, they wish to take no responsibility for creating and running these tools, nor the data retained, nor the global societal impacts. They refuse to share the data or inferred summaries.
Advertising has led to military grade tracking technology, and the web is practically run by advertising companies, who scrape, process, and retain our data, to create useful tools for us to use in order to encourage us to share more information. A feedback loop.
It's effectively privatizing profits and socializing losses on a data/information level; The commercial success of encouraging us to share our psyche and fostering opinion silos goes to investors. The control of individuals and groups goes to seekers of power. Yet the social impact of a divided society full of disinformation falls on all of us who aren't insulated from the reality of humanity.
Perhaps the general understanding of the value of data will begin to merge as we wake up to understand what this all means.
