The FCC settlement with Verizon was another gloomy example of a public institution outmatched by the velocity and resources of a determined surveillance capitalist. In March 2016, long after the announcement of Verizon's tactical redirection, the FCC reached a $1.35 million settlement with Verizon over its hidden ID privacy violations. Although Verizon agreed to relaunch its cookie on an opt-in basis, the settlement did not extend to AOL's advertising network, which is where the action had moved. Verizon's burgeoning new supply routes would remain unchallenged.

Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Cap…, loc. 530