Advocates Demand Abolition of Surveillance Advertising Industry; Proponents Foresee 'Traditional' Internet Emergence

Surveillance & Digital RightsApr 19, 2026score 2.233 posts · 10 replies across 3 instances

Community sentiment focuses on the inherent immorality and predicted collapse of the modern internet business model, which profits from the surveillance and commodification of user data. Multiple contributors claim that ceasing this practice would force major internet companies to collapse due to systemic flaws.

The debate centers on the fix. Some users, like @c0dec0dec0de, argue for the outright abolition of the surveillance advertising industry, referencing historical economic outlaws. Others, like @glitzersachen, predict the collapse will clear space for genuinely 'traditional' internet companies that sell services to users, not users to advertisers. Conversely, @[email protected] suggests going further, demanding that owners of these businesses be barred from physical ownership.

The prevailing view merges the critique of digital platforms with broader economic instability. The core consensus is that the current structure is unsustainable. The key division remains the *mechanism* of change: radical abolition versus market correction toward a pre-data-harvesting economy.

Key points

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The surveillance advertising model is fundamentally immoral and unsustainable.

Multiple users agree the system's foundation—monetizing user data—is wrong. (@HamonWry, @ajroach42)

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Companies claiming operational inability without data harvesting reveal inherent systemic failure.

This claim was echoed by @drdrowland, stating such admissions prove failure rather than necessity.

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The industry must be totally outlawed, not merely reformed.

Advocacy for abolition was made by @c0dec0dec0de, suggesting historical precedent for outlawing entire sectors.

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The collapse will facilitate the rise of healthier, customer-service-oriented internet models.

Arguments from @glitzersachen suggest 'traditional' service models will replace data-extraction platforms.

MIXED

Challenging wealth structures proves ineffective without radical structural dismantling.

While @edd discusses the wealthy removing capital from tax efforts, the sentiment points to a larger structural fight beyond just digital platforms.

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Any business model built on privacy violation is destined for failure.

This is a core tenet expressed by @HamonWry.

Source posts

@[email protected]

"If we stopped surveillance advertising, most modern internet companies would collapse" 

Good! They're laying off humans at a record pace in order to juice their stock prices and further facilitate this bubble. Take 'em all out.

342 boosts · 6 favs · 16 replies · Apr 18, 2026

@[email protected]

I think it bears repeating as others are calling for the abolition of the surveillance advertising industry that currently dominates the US economy; we’ve outlawed the greater part of our economy before, and we’re right to do it.
(I am not equating the immorality of mass surveillance with the immorality of chattel slavery)

0 boosts · 2 favs · 0 replies · Apr 19, 2026

@[email protected]

Your data isn't just collected — it's sold, traded, and used to predict and modify your behavior. Surveillance capitalism turns every Google search, Instagram scroll, and app tap into profit for someone else. Here's exactly what Big Tech knows about you and how to fight back. https://newsgroup.site/surveillance-capitalism-data-selling-big-tech-guide-2026/

0 boosts · 0 favs · 0 replies · Apr 19, 2026