It was your self-entitled attitude that reeked from your comment. If I was wrong with that, sorry.

In that case, your demanding they give you something for nothing.

> I'm not sure what makes you think that customers can't demand things of those they do business with.

Demanding things while offering nothing in return doesn't help. Also, "Please point to the part of my comment where I said customers can't demand things."

> Also, who's saying I've upped my price?

You have. You're asking for control over their API's.

Seriously, people like you think these companies have your data. They don't. You still have your data. You've shared it with them. It's theirs now. If you really cared about controlling your data, you'd have worried about this when you first signed up.

You're just acting the part of a self-entitled egotistical internet drama-queen "fighting the big guy oppressing the little guy", and frankly, that song-and-dance get's old quick.

Am I somehow mystically bound to never ask for more in return for the data I provide them?

Of course we can ask to change the terms. It's a business transaction.

This is silly, and you probably think you are being smart.

That's not what's being argued. Read the parent comment, and there is an expectation that it's your data and you have the right to decide what to do with it, and that you essentially should be able to dictate to other companies how they have to share it.

I call bullshit.

> What about the posts I put on Craigslist in the future?

What about them? T&C. It's your data. You are choosing to give it to Craigslist.

> The ratings I give to Netflix?

What about them? Those are your rating? You are choosing to give it to Netflix so Netflix can give you better recommendations.

> Am I somehow mystically bound to never ask for more in return for the data I provide them?

That was never suggested. Nor is it what is happening here. People are acting self-entitled, demanding that their data, which they given to other companies, somehow is still theres by some non-existent right.

> Of course we can ask to change the terms. It's a business transaction.

Which has nothing to do with what's being discussed here.

Here, let me help explain: if you sign up and agree to use a site, and provide it with data, then the business relationship already exists. If you suddenly want more, you need to renegotiate. But that doesn't mean the company should be required to hand over that data (which is what many are suggesting) that they own (and just because it's about you, or you provided it, doesn't mean it's yours to control).

So yeah, you can ask them to change the terms. And when they don't, you stop using the service.

I swear, this is like reading a bunch of posts my self-entitled, egotistical nobodies who, in all truth, never really cared about their data in the first place.

After all, if you did, this wouldn't be a problem for you.

What I'm reacting to is this idea that things are the way they are and they can't change. That the companies have the sole power to set the terms for what they do with data provided to them by their users. And of course they don't. It's an exchange, and if the users, as a group, want to ask to change those terms, they are completely withing their rights to do so.

There's nothing self-entitled or egotistical about that. It's simple business to request the terms of an exchange be changed.

No, you're demanding change. Demand has a meaning to it. You are demanding they do something. You aren't asking. You aren't negotiating. Your are demanding!

> I believe it is entirely reasonable to demand that they make those data accessible to other services I'd like to use.

Here is some good advice: Condescension doesn't make your point any more valid that it would be otherwise. You'll actually find people take you more seriously without it. =)

> That the companies have the sole power to set the terms for what they do with data provided to them by their users. And of course they don't.

You are wrong. First, your framing this wrong. It's their data. You've shared that data with them, they've collected it, stored it, processed it, and done what they will with it. Outside of a breach of the terms you agreed to, I don't see any reason they are beholden to you or anyone else.

> It's simple business to request the terms of an exchange be changed.

But that's not how you are framing it. You aren't requesting anything. You are demanding. And, more to the point, you are demanding you have control over all aspects of that data, even, apparently, data you generated using their product.

So again, the problem is you see this as data that is yours. It's not. You've paid them already, with that data. It's like giving someone money and demanding they do what you say with it.