There has to be a solution to this problem, but it doesn’t seem to me that enough people who are in a position to find it are doing their best to. We’re all just hoping that some abstract governmental force will step up and guarantee it rather than taking concrete, actionable steps towards ensuring it. I find that disconcerting.
It starts with each of us thinking about how we want to use personal data-based services in our lives—rationally considering how best to use them so they benefit us—and then only using services from companies we trust. At this point, I’m inclined not to trust Google, and I never did have any faith in Facebook.
The only companies that deserve as much personal data as we give out are companies who are truly interested in benefiting their users.