The context is I've worked at Google, and internally was surrounded by many who do care. I also saw other sides of controversial calls - business and other considerations which are not apparent publicly. But one thing Google does well internally way more than others is listen to it's engineers' opinion.

I'm curious when this was, if you don't mind saying. (I have a small hobby of trying to figure out Google culture over the years.)

They still exist, I know a few. Most of them are busy protesting Google taking over Microsoft's contract to provide surveillance and targeting information in Gaza, but I can ask about this issue.

Like any other large corporation, Google has selected for compliant employees over all else. It's more akin to a bureaucracy than a startup now.

...and fatalistic attitudes like this are what erode our freedoms imo. if we don't try, then what?

Then we post on the Internet about how doomed we all are. Keep up!