The Bargain We Didn't Know We Made

Nothing Is Free

You know the saying: if you're not paying for the product, you are the product.

But the full reality is stranger. You are not simply the product. You are the raw material, the factory, and the marketplace—all in one.

Your attention is extracted, refined into behavioral predictions, and sold to those who wish to influence your future actions. The service you use is the mining operation. Your data is the ore.

The Terms You Accepted

Somewhere in a terms-of-service agreement you did not read (because no one reads them, because they are designed not to be read), you agreed to something you would never have agreed to in plain language:

• That your private communications can be scanned for keywords
• That your location history can be stored indefinitely
• That your contacts and relationships can be mapped and analyzed
• That your purchasing patterns can be predicted and monetized
• That your political leanings can be inferred and potentially exploited
• That this data can be shared with partners, sold to advertisers, and preserved beyond your lifetime

This is the bargain. You get email, search, social connection, maps, photos, and a hundred other conveniences. They get you—your patterns, your attention, your future behavior made predictable.

Colonial Echoes

Samuel Adams railed against taxation without representation—the extraction of value from colonists who had no voice in how that value was used.

The digital equivalent is data extraction without understanding. Value is taken from your behavior, your attention, your choices—but you have no meaningful representation in how it is used, who buys it, or what influence is then exercised upon you.

The colonists at least knew they were being taxed. Most users do not truly grasp the extent of what they have surrendered.

The Invisible Invoice

Consider what you might pay if these services charged in currency rather than data:

Would you pay $40/month for digital sovereignty? Many would. But the option is rarely offered—because your data is worth more than your subscription fee.

Questions a Free Person Should Ask

• What did I really agree to when I clicked "Accept"?
• What is the true cost of "free" services in data?
• Who has access to my behavioral profile?
• How is my data being used to influence me?
• What would I pay for genuine privacy?
• Is there a way to reclaim what I have already surrendered?

What This Means for Ordinary People

You cannot fully opt out of the data economy. But you can become more intentional.

Choose paid services when privacy matters. Use privacy-focused alternatives when they exist. Limit what you share. Recognize that convenience and privacy often trade against each other.

Most importantly, understand the bargain. You may still choose to accept it—but let it be a conscious choice rather than an invisible surrender.

Frequently Asked Questions