Once people understand, they care.

Conversely, don't mistake people not caring for not understanding. Many people both understand and don't care. Reasonable people can disagree about how their personal data should be monetized.

Everyone "understands" that Facebook collects user data. It's the contextual understanding that makes techies uneasy.

It's not the "contextual understanding" - or any kind of understanding - that makes some techies uneasy. It's their own opinions and personal comfortability with regard to data monetization. Many people understand their data is monetized in myriad ways and fully don't care. Asking if they actually understand is only going to patronize them.

There are countless things I understand the basics of but am not an expert in. That's why we specialize, because we can't be experts in everything all the time.

I don't mean it to be condescending, I mean to express that I can know that stars are powered by nuclear reactions and yet not have a firm grasp of what that really entails.

Most people, including myself, have a shallow understanding of a lot of things, and a deep understanding of very few things relatively speaking.

The only thing that’s different is that they can remain blissfully unaware of it.

The answer on all that is advocacy.

They may still not care, and that is fine. At least it is with eyes wide open.

Professionals do that sort of thing. It is consideration, not condescension.

Your comment basically implied "maybe they don't really understand which is why they don't care".

So I am refuting the original statement because I presumably do understand, and I still don't care.

They know what's happening is wrong. They don't know how to stop it. But they do still need to browse the web.