I disagree - VPNs are not a solution for this whole issue, but legislation is. The whole VPN business looks shady to me, maybe Mullvad is an outlier and a good citizen, but for how long?

Make data collection transparent, force companies to have opt-in for it and fine non-conforming companies.

Dt. Telekom and Vodafone recently lost their zero rating business (StreamOn or what it was called), they're in constant search for new sources of revenue.