A functioning country would at least have a political conversation about this vast increase in government surveillance. This is why it’s not paranoia to be worried about mass troves of private data or privatization of government functions.

I have no idea if we should, ulimately, make a stink about this. The point is that private data very quickly can be used and sold for other purposes, including government surveillance. We can’t have solid vehicle-mile taxes, supposedly because of surveillance concerns. Yet private providers roam the streets, collect data on where you are, and hand that over to the national government already. The actual surveillance state is already here, and we have given into it for parking tickets.

At the same time, potentially good policy like VMT is blocked for privacy concerns.

Why? Policy is explicit.