If the concern is over the general public being manipulated by corporate or political messages then A/B testing is the least of our problems. Practically every TV, print or digital ad has not only been concept-tested but is actually designed to take advantage of peoples' innate biases and cognitive blind spots.
The solution isn't to bury a "We a/b test." disclaimer in a privacy policy that no one will read but rather to educate people on their blind spots. We do this already - in the U.S. at least - where high schoolers get a schooling in advertising techniques. E.g. the difference between $9.99 and $10.00 and the manufacturing of a "problem" so that the company can sell you their "solution".
Scott Adams was talking about this exactly on Bill Maher yesterday, that people can be educated about persuasion techniques and they still fall victim to them.
I'm not cynical enough to think it applies everywhere, mass education about persuasion techniques is the only real hope for defending against them.
The solution isn't to bury a "We a/b test." disclaimer in a privacy policy that no one will read but rather to educate people on their blind spots. We do this already - in the U.S. at least - where high schoolers get a schooling in advertising techniques. E.g. the difference between $9.99 and $10.00 and the manufacturing of a "problem" so that the company can sell you their "solution".