[Nextgrid]

In this case you could say that we need to go back to the Middle Ages and we don't need laws & enforcement and if you are concerned about getting robbed or killed it's up to you to defend yourself by wearing body armor, carrying weapons and having your own personal army.

Society has laws for a reason when its constituents decide that certain behavior is detrimental to it and should be outlawed & discouraged by the use of appropriate punishment. I don't see why this shouldn't apply here? The GDPR is in fact a step in that direction, though its enforcement is severely lacking.

> No advertising isn't a viable option in this world.

This is debatable but it's a discussion for another thread.

> I'd go as far as to say that the Internet, as we know it today, would not exist without targeted ads.

The Internet originally was about sharing information freely. It facilitated commerce to a certain extent but commerce wasn't its core purpose. The internet as well have nowadays has actually become worse because of the increased focus on commerce & advertising.

[icedchai]

The difference is enforcement. GDPR cannot be enforced worldwide. Even if it "legally" can, which is debatable, practical enforcement is another matter. Even if it could be practically enforced, accidents happen. People make mistakes. Your data could still be shared with a third party due to a bug or just plain incompetence. It's still a good idea to protect yourself.