> Surely there are solutions that don't require a popup on every webpage you visit?
I don't get any popups or cookie notices on visiting HN or several other sites. It's not like it's a fundamental need to set hundreds of tracking cookies on a visitor's browser to show them a website.
True, but very different. That’s not the highly-targeted, audience-segmented approach to advertising that parent commenter (and most people on the internet) is referring to by saying “ads”.
I don't get any popups or cookie notices on visiting HN or several other sites. It's not like it's a fundamental need to set hundreds of tracking cookies on a visitor's browser to show them a website.