GDPR doesn't make every site show cookie policies and popups now. It's entirely within a site's power to decide not to collect analyitics on their traffic, in w

GDPR doesn't make every site show cookie policies and popups now. It's entirely within a site's power to decide not to collect analyitics on their traffic, in which case they don't have to show or get consent for anything. I know, that's so glib that it's laughable. That's the point. We currently have a status quo where user analytics are very valuable while the cost of collecting them is minimal. That strongly incentivizes site owners to collect and store as much data as possible. In this moment we have a business culture and a set of engineering best practices that's grown up around those incentives. GDPR changes the incentive structure by imposing a cost on the collection end, in the hope that site operators will start being significantly pickier about what analytics they want to collect, when, and from whom. The end goal is a cultural change in how we collectively build websites. But culture doesn't change on a dime. It takes time for the existing actors to accept and adapt to a new normal, especially one that's more hostile to their interests. Be pissed off. Pissed off is an appropriate response to the horrible UX you're being exposed to. But be pissed off at the people showing you the horrible UX. It's in their power to stop, they just don't want to.