No-one (perhaps except folks like Stallman?) is blameless here.
One of the responsibilities of citizenship is to preserve your liberty against encroachment by State and private actors. Neglecting to consider that is a moral failure, and one I've been guilty of in the past.
I'm not saying that it's necessarily immoral to, say, have a FB account. But it is to have one without considering the implications and acting accordingly.
Is it also a failure (moral or otherwise) for the State to not tell citizens of this particular duty? Speaking anecdotally, citizens' duties are vaguely described as "participate, stay informed, obey and support laws." It took me decades to notice the subtle and complex intentions of the State and private actors that counter freedoms in said laws.
Not being Stallman or a full-time civil liberties defender, what's a good way for the basic citizen to be more informed, and better evaluate FB-like services?
> Is it also a failure (moral or otherwise) for the State to not tell citizens of this particular duty?
Yes - but realistically, what do you think State education is _for_?
Primarily, it's to ensure a citizenry that obeys and supports laws. Staying informed is a very distant second, and participation is actively quashed from the get-go. (What proportion of your local school board consists of children?)
As for how to stay informed - learn the basics of the technologies involved, and follow the news feeds of folks with a deep interest in the field. In this case, the EFF is a good start.
But realistically, there's too much for one person to cover. Tech? Sure, perhaps. But then there's medicine, finance, real estate, construction ...
So really, what you're left with is electing representatives who will provide responsible oversight. But realistically, almost all of them are in the pockets of lobbyists at this point.
TBH I'm not sure what the solution is, here.
So perhaps it _isn't_ a moral failure any more, because the scope has grown to the point where most people say "fuck it" and give up.
One of the responsibilities of citizenship is to preserve your liberty against encroachment by State and private actors. Neglecting to consider that is a moral failure, and one I've been guilty of in the past.
I'm not saying that it's necessarily immoral to, say, have a FB account. But it is to have one without considering the implications and acting accordingly.