The only reason people pay for those things is because no one offers them for free yet. If they did they would be really happy to trade their privacy. For example, Chinese smartphones are full of tracking ads, which is why they are so cheap, and they are extremely popular.
This is true, but its also an unworkable dead end for the tech industry. Private data is worth alot, but it cannot compensate for all the potentially valuable products people would happily pay for.
By undermining trust with users (turning them into products) they put a lid on the market.
So even from a pure financial perspective they have opted for short term profit and killing the golden goose.
