[nathan_long]

This example of tracking is tiny and harmless. But there's a wide spectrum of tracking behavior from sites.

> whiny, entitled users who think they have a right to use any website they want on their terms

Users do have a right to use any website they want to on their own terms. If I make an HTTP GET to your site, it's up to you to decide what HTML to return. Once you do, it's up to me whether to request the images, scripts, etc, and whether to read the sidebar, etc.

It's up to you to decide whether to show me any content of substance without first collecting payment. I can't demand that you publish content for free. I'm not entitled to that.

But it's up to me to decide what I consume. You can't demand that I view ads, send back tracking cookies, etc. You're not entitled to that.

If you don't like site visitors refusing to be tracked, then don't let them view your website. Nobody forced you to.