I wish we could ban this kind of argument on HN. It is so short-sighted and absolutely ignores reality for everyday folks who are totally uneducated about tech (and don't care to be).
It always strikes me as a 'caveat emptor' argument (Latin for "let the buyer beware") and smacks of condescension.
"Fuck yeah I'm ripping you off, why are you so stupid as to let me do it?"
I don’t remember the details but the spirit of the GDPR is basically that processing of your personal data requires your informed consent, and service cannot be withheld if you refuse to give this consent. What Meta is doing (not refusing to provide the service, but charging for it) is interesting, but sort of goes against the spirit of the law.
Personally I find this kind of condescending: I’m not allowed to enter into agreements as I see fit because some EU bureaucrat wants to “protect” me. It would be much better if the regulators focused on keeping these giant companies honest, holding them to their own terms of service and forcing them to communicate those terms in a clear and transparent way.
(And yes: I never wipe my ass without checking the latest EU regulations…)
