They had enough time to push browser vendors to implement an API which allows the user to specify the preferences, so that the page queries the API, instead of the user.
This is a step back. All these years of clicking those banners is now for nothing.
As someone who had to implement GDPR, it would be really frustrating if all people thought it was was the banners (which I’m not even sure was GDPR).
While our company was very good at handling customer data already, it forced us to up even our game.
Other companies, however, were absolutely miserable at it.
GDPR has improved user privacy for the billion+ Internet users across the board, whether they are EU citizens or not, and most won’t even know about it.
Maybe that's just media consumption and reporting bias, but I feel like data leaks have been a lot rarer and less impactful in Europe in recent years compared to the US and based on that the scam/identity theft activity also less intense.
This is a step back. All these years of clicking those banners is now for nothing.