Who Does Own the Future?

Jaron Lanier's Who Owns the Future brings up some interesting points in the Prelude alone, mentioning the many different ways people now pirate or illegally download even books now. Lanier explains the factors that go into transactions and the effects even from those that don't purchase but promote through word of mouth. Lanier brings up an interesting point in which he believes everyone deserves compensation for contributions that they post online. This scenario is possible, however I don't see it as a viable option because of the amount of free information available online, companies won't want to pay users for their contributions. Another interesting point brought up by Lanier is that models and profiles are being constructed by companies based on internet history and search information and these profiles are valuable to other businesses and companies trying to reach certain customers. This invasion of privacy has become second nature to basically everyone, with those in favor of giving up more information if it means personalized ads and emails. Maybe I am the only skeptical one, but in a society that already revolves around technology, why not be skeptical?