If it’s anonymous and doesn’t collect any user data, why do we need it at all? Would using a cookie for the same purpose (just a counter of visits, resetting ev

If it’s anonymous and doesn’t collect any user data, why do we need it at all? Would using a cookie for the same purpose (just a counter of visits, resetting every day) trigger the GDPR laws somehow? It would work in literally same way except being transparent to the user instead of utilizing some shady technique.