It's MUCH easier and cheaper for local US newspapers to block visitors outside the US than to comply with multiple content/privacy laws around the world.

Strange. I'm in Switzerland and I can read it.

Same.

Some webmasters are apparently stuck in 1990s.

It’s a local newspaper. It would be asinine for them to expend any effort trying to comply with global content rules.

Yeah, not being a creepy weirdo who tracks anyone who visits your website is such a difficult thing.

How can anyone live up to such a standard?

> not being a creepy weirdo who tracks anyone who visits your website is such a difficult thing

This is easy. Confirming compliance is not.

Also, there are content laws other than GDPR. If you’re a small-budget website and need to certify you’re compliant with all laws and regulations you’re subject to, it’s cheaper to block than confirm you’re up to date with the latest Brazilian or German content codes.

They're all the same. Don't spy on people and you're sorted.

> They're all the same. Don't spy on people and you're sorted

Vibe lawyering is totally insufficient if you need to certify you're in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Oh in that case you should never have a website at all because you never know what laws you might be contravening.

> you should never have a website at all because you never know what laws you might be contravening

Or, again, ensure compliance in the jurisdictions where you have paying customers. And if another jurisdiction presents ambiguity, block it and carry on. I'm not worried about my work violating North Korean law because I have no intention of ever being subject to it.