> Shouldn't people be able to choose what currency they want to pay for something in?

Thats a very libertarian position statement and I understand it. But the EU is much less capitalist/libertarian than you are. Their parliament made the call that they don't want people paying for services with their personal data.

There's valid arguments on both sides here. Some arguments supporting the EU's stance:

- If online newspapers get paid in proportion to views, they make more money by writing divisive clickbait

- Privacy is a fundamental right; not a currency. Treating it as currency means only wealthy people will be free from spying, and that is borderline dystopian.

- Advertising on the internet worked just fine before everyone was tracked and monitored through every click. Don't annoy me with cookie notices. Just don't use cookies for tracking and we'll get along fine.

How is it a fundamental right?

We as sovereign citizens of the EU decided it was so.

That doesn't make it a fundamental right.

What, to you, makes something a fundamental right?

The EU's document is "Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European_Union"[0], which does grant privacy as one. That pretty clearly does make it a "fundamental right".

Note the US Constitution's Bill of Rights does not offer right-to-privacy (but the 4th provides protection from searches-and-seizures without probable cause, which really doesn't deal with "privacy", especially from non-governmental actors).

Perhaps parent should have said "fundamental right granted by the EU", but in this context it's pretty clear.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_Fundamental_Rights_...

Contracts of adhesion don't lead to very good choice. And pretty much no site lets you choose what currency to pay in when it comes to ads. Realistically that would mean an option to pay a fraction of a penny per page.

So 'choice' is already something that has failed in the free market. Bring on the privacy.

It's been proven over and over again that people won't pay for content that gets successfully monetised with advertising.

You only have to see the howling every time someone posts a subscription only newspaper link on HN to see how vehemently opposed people are to paying for stuff like news.

So that means consumers have chosen to forgo their privacy to avoid paying money for content. Why can't I make that choice myself?

Why doesn't MC Donalds sell pizza? (I know they did at some point and gave it up). Because their customers don't want it, or at least not enough of them do.

"Subscribe or fuck off" is a stupid business model when it costs practically nothing to implement multiple revenue streams. This is such an obvious point.

That is what Washington post does, I think. You can agree to tracking or pay money.