Cookie banners are not a result of the GDPR. They're a consequence of the ePrivacy directive from 2002. The reason why they're more prevalent now is because G

Cookie banners are not a result of the GDPR. They're a consequence of the ePrivacy directive from 2002. The reason why they're more prevalent now is because GDPR 1) made people aware of data protection issues; and 2) made people more scared of fines.