OpEd: Just Collect Less Data, Period.
www.nytimes.com

... Every company wants the biggest data stockpile possible. We need unilateral data disarmament.

Let's list some anxieties about digital life: We're being tracked all the time. Internet superpowers hold sway over what information we see and what we buy. Our sensitive information keeps getting hacked.

There's no simple fix for these complex worries. But there's a step that works toward addressing them all: Americans deserve a national limit on the information companies collect about us.

If you want to focus on one broad approach to tackle many of our internet horribles, remember this motto: Just collect less data, period.

Companies want to harvest as much data about us as possible because " well, why wouldn't they? More information could help them target advertisements at us, track high-traffic areas in stores or show us more dog videos to keep us on their site longer.

For the companies, there's no downside to limitless data collection, and there's little to prevent them from doing so in the United States. ...

The author left out an important aspect, sell the data collected to law enforcement without the usual required court order.