This is a beautiful example of FOSS culture at work.
In what world would corporate, closed-source software engage in this kind of earnest truth-telling without the propellers of mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers?
> They're rapidly heading down the path, at the very least.
Who is? Amazon? Not likely. Though I haven't worked there for several years now, I would be flabbergasted to discover that Bezos would approve an initiative that involved selling user data to advertisers.
I can't speak to Microsoft. I am not a user of Microsoft's products, nor any of its subsidiaries' products, and they are not mining any data from me.
With respect to the Amazon link you provided, did you watch the video?
Amazon explicitly states that the ads provided are targeted based upon user action. So if you go to Amazon searching for music, they may show an ad on the side of the page that provides a discount offer for a specific band or artist.
As far as I know, Amazon doesn't sell user data to anyone, even for advertising.
In what world would corporate, closed-source software engage in this kind of earnest truth-telling without the propellers of mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers?