"Conspiracy talk" was an insult, and an attempt to shut down discussion, but for some reason you're not complaining about that.

I'm afraid to say many people do click on "consent" to whatever a website or program says. Google is bad for that. I was trying to set something up yesterday, and continually given boxes to check with "agree" and "got it". They did not make it clear what I was supposed to be agreeing to, and most people would not bother to read it.

Google's business model revolves around data harvesting and selling on private information.

Small print is the curse of the modern age. It's how we sign up to things we don't want or don't need. Including surveillance in apps. (I see you say you are an attorney, so you should be well aware of the dangers of small print.)