This is not how Democracy works. If, as you admit, billions of people don’t really care…who are you to force your will upon them? You know what’s better for them than they do?
It boggles my mind how people can think this way.
One might argue (perhaps especially in the case of the EU) that the legislative body doesn’t have public support some times. But that somehow laws are undemocratic because some fraction of the population doesn’t want them or doesn’t care? What’s the reasoning there? It’s even very common in a democracy to see lawmakers introduce laws that have a majority oppose them, because e.g it’s needed for society to function (tax increase would be the typical example that is rarely popular with 50%).
I don’t care about half the laws in the book most likely. But I elect representatives I trust to make things I might not like too. Democracy.
Also “billions”? These laws are m ass for half a billion Europeans and similar laws exist e.g in California. What’s going on with the rest of the billions it’s not really the concern of EU or California voters because … Democracy.
That basically means the business model “give people a service in exchange for personal info they think they don’t mind sharing” isn’t ok.
It also, by extension, means that you are telling consenting people that some agreements aren’t ok for them to enter into. Which is also fine.
> The average person does not value their privacy nearly as much as the outraged HN'er would believe.
I think you have it backwards. Regulation is needed because people don’t care. Not the other way around.
Seat belt laws are there because people don’t care about personal safety enough.