> This disallows EU websites from using those US cookie management popups that users universally hate. You know, the ones where you have to un-tick 20 items by hand and then some more on the hidden "legitimate interest" page.
As a (EU) user, I hate all cookie management popups. And those aren't brought by evil US companies. They a forced by dumb law that tries to "protect" me. This law specifically mentions that I need to be nagged for every single new domain I visit (dozens per day) and specifically mentions that having a single setting I can tweak is not OK.
The amount of thought that has gone in the law to ensure that people are nagged on every. single. page. they. visit. and. that. there. is. no. way. to. shortcut. this. boring. and. useless. process. is maddening...
They are not forced by law, they are actually entirely unnecessary, and the ones nagging you are probably not following the law, since GDPR says that saying "No" should be as easy as saying "Yes".
There is a way to shortcut this: Do-Not-Track header. But nobody follows it. There is also GPC (https://globalprivacycontrol.github.io/gpc-spec/) but browsers need to implement it. There are also several other ad-hoc ways of shortcutting it, like third-party cookies, for example. But that cookie would only allow "shortcutting" the "no" answer, not the "yes". So companies simply don't implement it.
There is also the possibility of not tracking at all. So the ball is entirely on the businesses' court.
The law is fine actually. The only issue is that it's not strict enough.
> This law specifically mentions that I need to be nagged for every single new domain I visit (dozens per day) and specifically mentions that having a single setting I can tweak is not OK.
This is also false. But humour me, where in the law does it say that? Concrete citation, please.
And behind every nag is a company whose employees decided they'd rather you have the nag experience than not use tracking cookies or respect Do Not Track settings.
> This law specifically mentions that I need to be nagged for every single new domain I visit (dozens per day)
No it does not.
The company behind the website decided that nagging you is worth it to get your data. They have the very simple option to not track you and provide a better user experience, save you data, save you battery power, save you time and respect you. They don't.
Sidenote: I did laugh at "dozens", I'd urge you to keep count for a day or two. If true you are a strong outlier.
There are 27 unique domains on the front page of HN right now, ~14 of which I've never visited before. I expect many visitors of this site visit dozens of new domains per day.
This is because of a law, but also because nearly all commercial websites try to track you. I would be completely fine with forbidding it in any case and destroying a very parasitic advertising industry if the popup is too much.
As a (EU) user, I hate all cookie management popups. And those aren't brought by evil US companies. They a forced by dumb law that tries to "protect" me. This law specifically mentions that I need to be nagged for every single new domain I visit (dozens per day) and specifically mentions that having a single setting I can tweak is not OK.
The amount of thought that has gone in the law to ensure that people are nagged on every. single. page. they. visit. and. that. there. is. no. way. to. shortcut. this. boring. and. useless. process. is maddening...