Yes but you must understand that most of users are incapable to do what you did.
GDPR wasn't written for technical users but for all citizens of EU. By having banner they have at least possibility to reject tracking.
Also there was a DNT header initiative. Simple and elegant, serer would get the header from browser and would stop tracking you. You wouldnt even see it. Did it work?
There's also no good way to block data collection inherent in the service you are using. You can't use ublock to stop Google from saving everything you search for, or your location data. GDPR does allow you to stop that.
It seems to me that Apple - a private company - had a lot more of a measurable effect than the government. Major companies like Facebook have explicitly said that Apple’s new policy had a material effect on their earnings.
> Yes but you must understand that most of users are incapable to do what you did.
Third party browser disabling is now enabled by default in firefox and safari, so no operation needed. API used for fingerprinting alternations require no operation on my side. The only thing that require activation is private relay, which needs to be done once and is much simpler than all the legislation around GDPR, cookies etc.
> Also there was a DNT header initiative. Did it work?
It didn't because honouring it was a server side choice. Just like honouring the EU cookie law is a server side choice and doesn't really work either. If you don't want a cookie to be used to track you: don't send it.
Well, the DNT was great. But the server side didn't honor it.
Anyway, if you are so annoyed by cookie banners, you can use this (and few others), works like a charm. Just a warning to website owners, this doesn't mean you got a valid consent from a user of this addon, and as you didn't, it means you cant track them or you are in violation of GDPR.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/i-dont-care-a...
It would be so much easier if DNT would be honored. Now we are having a law that penalizes the violation of PII (which is defined so broadly, that you cant workaround it - even unique id in a cookie signalizing you are rejecting cookies is PII; nice try, next time read GDPR before trying futile tactics) to the point where you need to take care what you are doing. And GDPR is just the beginning, it is only most widely known but currently 17 countries are having similar legalization and new are coming.
Or maybe a more simple to understand: chlorofluorocarbons (and other ozone depleting substances) were a good business for decades. They were recognized as harmful to ozone and life in general and were forbidden to use. Some companies went bankrupt, some adapted, some were lobbying and complain for another decade. Today we no longer use/produce ODS or at least in minimal quantities.
That add-on works great. On firefox. On a desktop. Of a computer I own. That's not exactly covering a significant portion of my use cases.
Also: I really don't care about analytics cookies, I think they are fair game and can genuinely make many websites/tools better when used correctly. So how can I express this measured and informed consent globally ? (Answer is: I cannot due to how the law is written). And with ton of added legislation, the user life won't get any easier.
I don't understand the parallel with chlorofluorocarbons. Banning that substance stopped its production and thus its harmful effects. PII on the other hand are - as you mentioned - defined so broadly that they are everywhere. Simply having a login button means you deal with PII. Having access to the user IP (aka: replying to an HTTP query !!) means dealing with PII. Sending an order confirmation by email means dealing with PII. You can legalise all you want, but these data are still going to be there: their production will not stop the slightest. In almost all the cases their usage does not cause any problem, unlike chlorofluorocarbons.
> That add-on works great. On firefox. On a desktop. Of a computer I own. That's not exactly covering a significant portion of my use cases.
That is why you should be happy about GDPR as it covers all your use-cases.
GDPR is actually great but no one reads it and only listens some scaremongering by companies that are hurt by it. The problem of mass surveillance and abuse of personal data is also huge. But again no one thinks about it outside some cookies and ads.
Enjoy watching about GDPR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-stjktAu-7k (best done presentation that I was able to find on internet, you might notice in first few minutes that is not about you having access to PII but about using PII - or: I have access to a gun. But I wont use or abuse it. As I might end in jail.)
GDPR wasn't written for technical users but for all citizens of EU. By having banner they have at least possibility to reject tracking.
Also there was a DNT header initiative. Simple and elegant, serer would get the header from browser and would stop tracking you. You wouldnt even see it. Did it work?