In theory, the government doesn't need the ad exchanges which have very lossy information. They have access to the ISPs and cell service providers, etc, with a warrant. Dictatorships like China and Russia don't need ad network data to be police states, they just use the core phone, internet and computer data.
But in this case, the US gov are using the insecure private data as a run-around to the warrant process. This is definitely unfortunate, and I think laws should be amended to prevent this workaround.
On the contrary, the ads become worse, since they become better at trying to get me to buy some crap I don't need.
The more irrelevant to my profile they are, the better.
> It basically just powers product discovery in a giant global marketplace.
That is also incomplete. See how profiling led to ICE finding people - and ICE has a proven track record of executing US citizens. That is also a fact. It does not mean profiling led to the death of the people here, 1:1, but it meant that it is a contributing factor to the build-up of government troops killing people (which is very similar of Europe 1930s by the way).
https://www.transportforireland.ie/getting-around/by-taxi/dr...
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Additionally, in plenty of European Countries, it's pretty common to write your name on your address: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/B01RP4/personal-name-plates-at-blo...
Writing it down would give more information to everyone else at all times.
What about video games? They only have utility in pleasure and the sedentary lifestyle associated with over-playing them is extremely harmful.
Sounds to me like you have some random things you decided you don't like and want to ban ads for them, not that you've done any thinking about utility (other than as a bad attempt at rationalizing your anti-some things campaign).
I thought this was just ignorance.
Then I checked the profile. They ”have lots of experience with digital advertising “
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it”