Well, the users of facebook do get the facebook service in exchange for the data they provide.
TANSTAAFL. If you don’t pay with money, you’re paying with something else. Facebook is not a charity. The question is not whether they’re allowed to obtain (non-monetary) payment for using their service, it’s whether it was (and is) clear what the price is.
What irks me is why non of these services allow monetary payment. Why can’t I pay for facebook with the express agreement that none of my data is sold? It wouldn’t have mass market appeal, but it would silence many of the critics. (Same deal for all ad-funded platforms: just let me pay with money instead of time or attention.)
TANSTAAFL. If you don’t pay with money, you’re paying with something else. Facebook is not a charity. The question is not whether they’re allowed to obtain (non-monetary) payment for using their service, it’s whether it was (and is) clear what the price is.
What irks me is why non of these services allow monetary payment. Why can’t I pay for facebook with the express agreement that none of my data is sold? It wouldn’t have mass market appeal, but it would silence many of the critics. (Same deal for all ad-funded platforms: just let me pay with money instead of time or attention.)