So how does that work then? How does Google prove that I clicked that accept-EULA button? Or that I approve of them keeping track of my information? I never put my signature anywhere and still there are companies holding or even trading my information.

> it’s essentially a social/legal problem, not a technical one

And ironically, it's the tech companies who are getting away with it.

right, that’s the social/legal problem, that consent is assumed, and i’d argue, coerced. bundling like this is actually an anti-trust concern, because it’s using power in one market (for instance, search) to exert control in another (data brokerage), but we’ve collectively lost sight of this being a problem.

but yes, they should be required to get your unambiguous consent for data sharing separate from any other transaction, otherwise it shouldn’t be considered consent.

For software that doesn't require you to click a EULA button or change a value in a EULA file to acknowledge you agree to the EULA, they can just make it part of the Terms Of Service that you inherently agree to by using their software/service.