It's a sure-fire bet that enforcement bodies (such as the ICO in the UK), are starting to build test cases against the worst offenders. There only needs to be

It's a sure-fire bet that enforcement bodies (such as the ICO in the UK), are starting to build test cases against the worst offenders. There only needs to be a few successful fines for the model the article is complaining about to be uneconomical. They're going to look at the big guys - the Facebooks, Googles and Amazons of this world first. Big media firms, too. Facebook is looking at $2 billion in fines if they can find one corner they're not compliant. Google would be nearly three times that, Amazon over 6 times that. The money taken in from that will then be spent on upping enforcement, to some extent. Of course, if in 2022 they're sat on a GDPR fine pot of $20 billion, not all of it will go on enforcement: it'll go on investment. But it will be enough to realise that there is no escape and the adtech firms will suddenly realise they're looking down the gun at liabilities they can't stomach or afford. More importantly, brands will be embroiled. Are you a wholesome household name? How you going to feel about being involved in giving huge amounts of money to an adtech firm that is now being dragged through the European courts for spying on your customers? The effect will not be immediate. It's 4-5 years away before we see the first signs of anything serious, but it will happen and it will be a permanent win for privacy.