I’m glad you said “neither is preferable.”

In discussions of privacy, it always strikes me as odd when someone denounces either the government or giant corporations for gathering data on individuals, but seems okay with the other.

The government is at least somewhat responsive to citizens, while corporations are only responsible to shareholders. But governments have armies and police forces, while corporations don’t.

If you’re wary about snooping, it’s logical to be wary about snooping by any large, powerful institution, rather than just one.