As far as the average person is concerned, EEA members like Norway are practically in the EU. You've got free movement, open borders due to the Schengen area, and so on. Meanwhile all the exemptions from EU law mostly concern comparatively niche areas like fishing.
"Although not a member of the EU, Norway is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA). The GDPR was incorporated into the EEA agreement and became applicable in Norway on 20 July 2018. Norway is thus bound by the GDPR in the same manner as EU Member States."