Absolutely true. Google isn't going to bust down my door because I'm a climate change activist.
>my speculation on why the "common layman" doesn't care.
I think the common layman absolutely cares, once they understand. It's getting them to understand that's the hard part. John Oliver's "Dick Pick" bit is a great start.
Thank you for bringing up this point though, I was hoping someone would (and you can choose to not believe me if you like). Making the connection of major companies to government surveillance outside of the security-minded (ie. people who keep up or are educated on the Snowden leaks) wouldn't make this connection. Which I treat as supporting evidence for my speculation on why the "common layman" doesn't care.
The US is in fact far more likely to imprison/traumatize one of its citizens over one of its many obscure technicalities (whether actually violated or not) than say NK is to attempt to use data to somehow pressure that US citizen.
Trying to decipher the underlying perspective of the article, I also find mirth in the apparent angst of all the secret agents and their sponsors; they have no idea what corporation will screw up their cover. Joseph Conrad would be proud of our progress even if it is marginal.
So could corporations. If they were so inclined, Google could easily blackmail almost anyone. Your only recourse would be going to law enforcement and a messy public trial at which the embarrassing secrets they were using to blackmail you would be revealed.
If Google's a dick, I can post on Facebook or Tumblr about how Google's being a dick. If my government is a dick, my life as I know it is over.
To offer my perspective on this, and feel free to disagree.
Corporations could (and do) use the data to increase profits - mostly through marketing and selling the data to marketers. While invasive of peoples' privacy - their freedoms remain intact.
Government could use the data for control, to maintain power over the people and could use it maliciously through imprisonment and maltreatment of people based entirely on the collected data. While also invasive of privacy - it has a risk of limiting freedoms or worse. People fear the possibility of this.
It's not that people necessarily trust corporations with their data (most users are simply unaware) - but rather that they have less to fear from companies than the government.
The government might revoke my drivers license because I show signs of road rage. The license being revoked could lose my transportation to work, losing my job. In the current economy and lack of job availability in my area - I'd lose my house. All over a little blob of data the government decided to use against me. Meanwhile, Google having that same information might show me ads for an anger management class.
I'd rather Google have it than the government in my contrived and made up example. I imagine that's why fewer people care if Google/Facebook know everything but want to keep that information from the government.
Privacy-concerned people use alternative-to-Google services like Duckduckgo and don't even have a Facebook. So they don't trust corporations either (although ironically turn to smaller corporations as alternatives?)