People do know. People would not say it is shit if they didn't know about it. It isn't just "nerds" that are aware, my mom's friend spontaneously brought up she didn't want to install what's app because "it's meta"..(admittedly, she also said "I have enough meta" which is a bit tech-illiterate). my uncle rants about it (admittedly ..on Facebook). These are pensioners with nothing to hide. It really is legislation and not awareness that is clogging and this is not strange following auth right waves. But nobody thinks or agrees with the title (which is why it's good clickbait ofc). Even the policy makers in an auth right carousel don't believe it, they just perform as they should to climb the ladder.