Re: sort of confused ?
To google, I am a datum. They don't care about my identity. They have the power to direct information and advertising towards me, which I can take or leave according to my usage and privacy settings.
The government also collects data: that's not new (the idea of a census goes back to antiquity). What's controversial is when it's tied to my identity. The (agents of) government do have the power to lock me up, to deprive me of my worldly goods, to ban me doing things. And I can't opt out.
Occam's razor suggests that failing to see the difference looks like being deliberately obtuse.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
