Not so fast. It’s not free, we are just the cost. Nothing is free, there’s always a cost. Whether that cost is our freedom and livelihood through subjugation and tyranny is yet to be determined.
At a minimum they are harvesting and selling the data people are exploring so it’s a Web 2.0 mindset there.
I never trust these people are egalitarian.
Is there a direct cost to you? Do you pay out of pocket? In the monetary sense, which people associate with cost, it is free. There is no charge.
Now what you state is true but then again, are you going to spend vast sums of money for no return? I highly doubt it. Do you just give away, say your labor for no return, or do you expect to get paid?
Of course, you can always opt to not use the technology. Then again, I doubt you are that upset since you are on the internet, on some device that has software in it.