Wonder how long it will take for the "Average Joe" to care about these things

possibly never going to happen

Unless there's a massive data breach which affects them personally - though not sure how that would be.

The only way to go may be forcing the mega-terch companies to respect user rights, which you'd think would be a joke - and for google/facebook/microsoft that is a joke, though it is interesting that apple introduced that "opt in app do-not-track" thing last year, where facebook shat it's pants.
- The only time I saw a data breach changing user behavior was with LastPass scandal last year. Unless it's literally the people's bank account passwords that's at stake, I don't think most would care at all.
  
  I agree, regulation - either enforced by the platform or authorities - may as well be the only way.
- The sad part is that option probably gives some people the impression like “oh Facebook can’t track me now”. Even though they were pretty annoyed by it I’m sure, they are one of a handful of companies that absolutely does not need your device’s tracking token to still track you.
- Facebook have got data breach a few times which didn't stop majority of people still using it.
The last two for fuck sake; after that list what the hell is, or how does Fuckerburg, define 'sensitive data'?

'People' won't react to this until they are hit with a real and tangible consequence:

'sorry, based on the heath data you gave to Meta we're doubling your insurance premiums'
- "Looking at your poor health choices and sports selection, sorry, we can't"
People never read, just click the accept button.

Everyone knows it, it was even on S06E01 of Black Mirror.
- humancentiPad...
You're probably right, but why in the heck does instagram need health and fitness data? That really should set off alarm bells to any of the saps downloading that thing...
- it's a social network. Some people do post things related to health and fitness, and it's another gold mine of private data for ad targeting, so from a business perspective it makes sense to have features that integrate Instagram with these health and fitness gadgets.
  
  This list is a summary of the data they may collect. Using these apps don't mean you're handing all this info automatically. Most of these are actually voluntarily shared e.g. when the user connects a fitness app to it; or actively requested e.g. when they make use of location sharing in the in-app chat.
  
  The more in-app functionality a user makes use of, the more data they'll hoard about that user.

I'll stay away for any social media Facebook will create

People literally don't care about their privacy. Anything that is raised regarding tracking is classified as being paranoid and you become a weirdo.

In fairness, privacy issues have been a bit like a "frog in boiling water". Unless you pay a lot of attention to these things or are completely out of the loop, the average person won't see the issue.

At least my grandmother's vindicated now for not wanting to get on Facebook and share those sorts of things

Not until there is a massive data breach that leads to very serious and obvious real world consequences

Like the Equifax hack that nobody cares about anymore?
- On a similar scale, but with consequences like zeroing out savings and maxing out credit cards of several dozens of millions of people or violence for political views/sexual preferences/etc on the same scale. Basically, something that will make a large number of people learn about the importance of privacy the hard way.

my dad barely understands how email works, do you think he even knows what all of these do lmao

I feel very lucky that my mom knows a lot, changes passwords for my dad, and had no problem moving away with me to Signal and we can complain together about website that don't allow you to refuse cookies
- So lucky to have a cool mom <3

"I have nothing to hide"
People just want to use the app, like on TikTok "China is spying you, it will be blocked" many started to looking for VPNs to unblock the app.

Women I knew started to care when I showed them articles about how google and meta knew their menstrual cycles, and reported on searches about abortions to law emfprcemt

never

People don't care. They will never care.

They will once it hurts their wallets.

I hope Threads is juuuust successful enough to fully kill off Twitter so that we can move one step closer to Musk fading into obscurity.

Until there's a massive leak of credit card data from a single incident, nothing will change.

I don't think even that is enough - people will just have their banks sort it all out. I think only stuff like identity theft as a result of a breach will make people learn IMO
- Well, banks don't sort it out very fast and they definitely won't solve it fast if it happens to a large percentage of their clients.

"Oh, look! They are going to track all my purchases and sell to third parties! HAHA ! Who is gonna want to buy info out of a random loser buying coffee?"

- Unironically me, 13'ish years ago

This the dystopia we chose for ourselves.

I'm an average Joe and try to minimize my digital footprint as much as convenience allows, but keep seeing people say that this is paranoia and doesn't matter.

it does matter. its not necesserily about not wanting my own data collected, its about everyones being collected, and big tech controlling our whole lives

We (i.e. those of us who work in the industry and care about such things) really need to work on messaging to get through to normal people.

For instance, people are genuinely freaked out at the idea of Facebook listening to them through their phones. It really hits a nerve. Now that isn't happening, but what is happening is even worse. Facebook are able to predict your behaviour, your thoughts, so well that it gives the illusion that they're listening to you. They've spent decades training their models on your behaviour, your content, both on their website and across the entire web and beyond. And they've fucking nailed it.

That's far far more scary than them listening to you. They know things about you that you don't even say out loud. It's terrifying.

Never.

Just look at what happens on Reddit when Mastodon is brought up in the Threads/Twitter wars.

“Ohhhh it’s too haaaaard to use. What does it matter about a little privacy loss anyway?”

Consumerist pigs don't care about literally anything past their own consumption and comforts.

Yeah this is true, but I will persist to make the 20%, 5% or 0.1% of aware people move platforms if it means there's less of this shit.