If memory serves, there might be an existing retention program available that offers a 25% increase in pay for three years, but I’m not sure if that’s available to all federal workers or just certain agencies.

It’s 100% possible to give most of them a one time “step” increase that amounts to a permanent 5-7% (ish) raise, which would net them significantly more over time.

Shit, I think if you pick the right job in the military, an 18 year old with a high school diploma can get $70,000 pre-tax if they sign a six year contract.

So yeah, ten grand pre-tax is a joke considering how vital and stressful ATC is.

If he organizes public executions, will they finally try to use the 25th or just roll with it?

Why can’t we win the AI race and still not have a surveillance state? Those don’t seem like they have to be linked…

Yeah, journalistic integrity is important, and they shouldn’t slander Google, due diligence and what not.

But there wouldn’t even be a need for an article or any investigation if Google and other tech companies weren’t treating user data as something they have a god given right to.

That’s my point. It doesn’t matter what Google does or doesn’t do with the data. They shouldn’t collect it unless I tell them they can. It’s MY data. It’s MY right to keep it private or destroy it as I please. That’s the baseline all tech companies should adhere to.

Play Services does collect data it shouldn’t collect, by sending it back to Google.

Right. And my argument is that this shouldn’t happen without users opting in.

But the difference between “I am collecting your data” and “I wrote software you are running” is important and needs defending,

I don’t disagree. Not am I arguing the content of the article. I just disagree with your notion that we have to prove negligence or malfeasance to deserve privacy.

Your original post placed the burden on users to prove that Google mismanages the data they collect. That’s not how this should work. I should own that data, just as I own the text I write with a text editor. I shouldn’t have to prove that Google is mismanaging it in order to keep that data private. I shouldn’t need any other reason than “it’s my data and I don’t want to share it beyond what is necessary for this technology to operate.”

If you don’t collect the data in the first place, there’s nothing to mismanage.

Rather than users having to prove that Google is mismanaging OUR data, Google should prove it has a need to collect, aggregate, and sell access to that data beyond surveillance capitalism.

The default option should be that only fully anonymized data that is essential to device functions should be collected, and this should be validated through an independent audit. Everything else should be opt-in.