It's harder to run targeted ads if the data is encrypted.
Sometimes I feel that it's less about money and more about control, but control, in a weird future sense. I wonder if the thought process is, "we should collect this now, so we can use it later," without ever really knowing what it will be used for later.
It's so strange to see tech companies fight for encryption, not only Apple, which also has a large ad business, but even Meta and Google, which are almost entirely ad-funded, only to see people on HN speculate about how ads are the reason for the fight against encryption.
Sometimes I feel that it's less about money and more about control, but control, in a weird future sense. I wonder if the thought process is, "we should collect this now, so we can use it later," without ever really knowing what it will be used for later.