Why do people hand over so much data to tech companies? It's not easy to say 'no'

By now, most consumers understand that data collection is a core part of advertising-based businesses such as Facebook, Google and Snapchat. The practice can often be a boon to consumers: The more people share with the companies, the better they are able to serve up ads, search results, product recommendations and music and movie suggestions tailored to an individual's liking. Yet many remain unaware of the type of data collected and what companies ultimately do with it. While the answers often lie in privacy policies and terms of service agreements, few take the time to look them over. A 2017 Deloitte survey found that more than 90% of people agree to terms and conditions without reading them. The problem isn't that Facebook and other companies are failing to get users' consent or that they're not disclosing details on the data they collect, according to design critics. It's that when the companies ask for consent, they use interfaces designed to get users to opt in without second thought.