I also had to call support to activate Windows on a Surface 3. In total I spoke to 6 Microsoft representatives and only 2 had any idea what I was talking about. I was asked to reboot the computer and go to the BIOS by one of the reps. I was also told that the licence I had was an OEM one so I would have to contact the manufacturer (yes this was from MS licence activation support)
I also consume a lot of free/ad supported content. I also don't feel bad about it. I suppose my point was that if a content creator feels that their content/product is worth charging for they should charge for it rather than trying to get a third party to pay for it.
I can agree that in almost all cases these days I will only pay online with a couple of trusted payment processors. If I can't pay using my preferred method I will often forgo the content/item.
The thing is laws change, what is permitted today may not be tomorrow. So yes today this may not affect most people, does that mean we should allow for laws today that could undermine democracy in the future? Also do you really think criminals will use a protocol authored by GCHQ?
I can see a lot of people I know cancelling their subs. Also I wonder if this will result in a resurgence of torrents as people find other ways to watch their shows.