

Your disgust is valid. But the developer generally has no gall, and no agency. The corporation tells them to pack and monetize the clickthroughs like feeding puppies into a sausage machine. The developer never thought that would be the job.
In fact, every time you don’t see something like this, it’s because some developer said, “Enough, I won’t do this,” putting their job (and their next rent payment) on the line. I lost two jobs that way.
Don’t let them divide us. The fascist oligarchs are the villains.


“The company says it may share user information in limited emergencies if it believes disclosure is necessary to prevent death or serious physical injury.”
Also keep in mind: Your chat logs are company assets. Even if today’s decision makers believe maintaining user trust is net profitable, that will not always be true. Some day, maybe when the pullback comes and the wolves are at the gates, or when they sell the company, or when a shareholder action asserts fiduciary duty to maximize shareholder value, your chat logs will be sold and mined in the most lucrative way possible. The way that extracts the most value from you, the product.