> As a programmer in 2019, I think it's a bit hypocritical of me to opt-in to the industry that is responsible for the situation we are in while saying 'regulation is the solution here'.

Unless you are responsible for the current situation then you aren't being hypocritical. I'm a programmer and only develop free software. I don't at all feel hypocritical to day that tech companies should be far more strictly regulated when it comes to user privacy and (god forbid!) ethics.