[xorcist]

> How is something like having Google Analytics on your site "shady shit"?

The fact that a question can be phrased like this really illuminates how much society has changed in 20 years.

Not so long ago sharing data between sites was definitively shady. Then Google somehow institutionalized it, and now it is completely mainstream.

> I would think counting unique visitors is a legitimate business interest

Yes, that's not it. Identifying people are, and collecting their personal data is.