BorupAug 12, 2025
Periodic reminder that EU did not mandate cookie popups.
Cookie popups are yet another example of malicious complience by an industry that wants to use and abuse data about us all.
Show threadhrbrmstr 🇺🇦 🇬🇱 🇨🇦Aug 12, 2025
@borup How, exactly, did you expect websites to ask for consent, then? Such a silly assertion to make.
Show threadMarkus UnterwaditzerAug 12, 2025
@hrbrmstr @borup GitHub figured it out, Sentry figured it out. It can be done. And clearly some companies just care about the UX of their EU users more than others, because even though they all adhere to the same law, some cookie banners are more annoying than others.
Show threadMarkus UnterwaditzerAug 12, 2025
@hrbrmstr @borup There's valid criticism of the GDPR, like how for example companies legitimately didn't know how to interpret it when it first came out, which led to wildly different interpretations and lots of "overly cautious" implementations (especially in germany and austria) But it doesn't matter anymore today. The differences you see today in implementation come from mentality and priorities of website owners rather than the written law.
Show threadhrbrmstr 🇺🇦 🇬🇱 🇨🇦Aug 12, 2025

@untitaker @borup GDPR was created to collect fines.

The EU doesn't actually care about data privacy/human safety. Ref: ProtectEU

And, all cookie notices are annoying & fairly useless at this point.

Show threadMarkus UnterwaditzerAug 12, 2025
@hrbrmstr @borup "The EU doesn't care about human safety" is an asinine statement. I wish you best of luck discussing policy with anybody while having that kind of mentality.
Show threadhrbrmstr 🇺🇦 🇬🇱 🇨🇦

@untitaker @borup I'll make sure to pass that on to the Council of Economic Advisers who I have talked policy with and a few other groups I do talk policy with.

Have fun living in your fantasy world, especially when ProtectEU goes into full swing.

Aug 12, 2025 at 1:03pmWeb
Show threadMarkus UnterwaditzerAug 12, 2025
@hrbrmstr @borup I also don't think the GDPR would be able to survive the current political climate as-is. But that's completely irrelevant to this conversation. The fact is that the GDPR can definitely be implemented without cookie notices.
Show threadWalter van HolstAug 12, 2025
@hrbrmstr @untitaker @borup Oh sure, that obscure council is the final authority on the purpose of data protection law. > 80% of the rules in the GDPR already existed before it, so that is demonstrable nonsense.
Show threadWalter van HolstAug 12, 2025
@hrbrmstr @untitaker @borup To add to this, the Council of Economic Advisors is a US executive body thing, their opinions on the motives for EU legislation are just that, opinions. And in this case it is perfectly in line with the US ignoring the historic realities behind the GDPR (including its provenance in the US Nixon administration) and merely going for the political expedient theory that it all is just a non-tariff barrier against US companies. You are just confusing US myopia for facts.