Why people don’t demand data privacy – even as governments and corporations collect more personal information

When ICE gained access to a sweeping Medicaid database last summer, privacy advocates sounded alarms — but most Americans barely flinched. This disconnect, scholars argue, isn’t apathy so much as exhaustion. Years of data breaches, fine-print consent forms, and relentless tracking have conditioned people to believe they can’t meaningfully protect their information. The result is “data disaffection,” a kind of learned numbness. The article explores how weak U.S. privacy laws and fatalistic narratives reinforce that helplessness — and how better storytelling might help break the cycle. Rohan Grover and Josh Widera with The Conversation has the full story.

Rohan Grover and Josh Widera

The Conversation

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