Maybe it's because corporations care about their users more than the government does? After all, they make money from selling their products, not from coercion.
I'd say it's somewhere between 'selling' and 'coercion'.
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country." - Edward Bernays
