Data

Having to pay for privacy is the epitome of a captured state that leaves everything to the market, even your human dignity. 

In congressional hearings Zuckerberg has maintained that FB will never have a paid version. He has argued that this would be unfair to developing regions, but new anti-trust theories make it clear they can only set the price for ads if there is no additional information. If users became consumers on a level playing field as ad-buyers, they might wonder why they have to pay X amount and not Y. Ad sellers have to take the price or leave the market. But if uses are given the choice to pay (becoming consumers, not just the product) or not, the wealthiest and thus most lucrative (in terms of prospective sales) are likelier to pay to leave. That would tank the value of the ad market. European regulation is making the choice for Zuckerberg harder to avoid very public disclosure. 

Here's ten years of data Europeans might be interested in. Europeans' data is 1/3 as valuable as Americans' (and Canadians'), according to the company's SEC 10-Q forms. I've combed through 2013-2021 data* and made a visual to highlight the stark gap in regions. 

Zuckerberg's price for European's privacy is far more what he's told the SEC he's charging for it. The current price, $14 dollars per month, corresponds to ~ three-month's worth ($15.63 Q4 2023). Who knew selling you back your dignity could be more profitable! It's almost like they've pulled the amount out of thin air.... Heads he wins, tails you lose? 

Europeans, don't let them charge you more than they are charging ad sellers trapped in a one-sided market. Those prices are already inflated by the Google/Facebook marketplace duopoly's ability to set their own prices. The price of your data is small to them but big to you! 

*Dynamic graph in the works.