Facebook, Google Fund Nonprofits Shaping Privacy Debate

This article accentuates the need to always look for the source of the funding when it comes to non-profits, think tanks, and "public interest" groups. Unfortunately, the goals of these groups are not always as transparent as their names would have you believe.

There should be scare quotes around Privacy Advocacy Groups.

All of the listed think tanks are for sale. EPIC, an actual privacy advocacy group, is not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Privacy_Information...

Even if the privacy advocates are completely incorruptible, FB and Google still have a devious motivation when they try frame the debate about their companies around Privacy.

Privacy is important, but the monopolistic/oligarchic control these businesses exert over their peers and the people of our countries is the real issue.

Nothing would make these companies happier than if we argued about privacy for the next 100 years.

This quote from the article highlights the problem at hand:

> Organizations like the Center for Democracy and Technology, which received at least $960,000 from [Google and Facebook] in 2018, are often quoted in the media as unbiased third parties and influence how policy is developed in Washington as such, despite receiving the tech company funding.

> The group supports allowing tech giants to sell user data to third parties with limited restrictions, a position that is in line with technology companies that profit handsomely from such sales, but not so popular with consumers.

I guess "Privacy Advocacy Groups" does not equal "Pro-Privacy Advocacy Groups".

Exactly. This allows them to control the narrative and even fight for small pro-privacy laws that don't affect their advertising.