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The modals don't exist to protect the user. Their goal is merely to annoy users to the point they just give up and blindly click "Accept". They only exist for the benefit of companies, and most of them violate GDPR.

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Right. I'm not saying the intent of GDPR was to provoke them. But empirically, they are an effect of the GDPR. An undesirable one - that does not fulfill its intent. I'd say we are in agreement here.

I'm not in agreement with that. The banners are an effect of shitty companies being shitty to their customers. They already put as many annoyances and dark patterns on their website as they can, with or without GDPR: newsletter subscriptions, opt-in as default, multiple trackers.

Those banners are merely the effect of shitty companies trying to cover their asses and being non-compliant to a law that's actually sane.

The banners tell me what websites are shitty and that I shouldn't visit them. That's a tangible benefit.

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