[icebraining]

accept those terms in exchange for free services

Such exchanges are illegal under the GDPR. Consent must be freely given; if access to a service (that doesn't require that data, or that use of the data) is dependent on it, then it's not valid.

[vsl]

That was OP’s point. Some people, like me, want to freely accept such terms. I don’t give a damn about some cookies tracking. What I do give a damn about is making my own choices.

The entirely predictable consequence of making this trade illegal is that I can’t even access information on sites that have minuscule EU revenue, are too big to be afraid they might become a target, and can’t afford to provide me their services for nothing.

The Great European Firewall is a thing now.