Google AdSense on Ctrl blog is configured to only show non-personalized ads to any users with the Do-Not-Track (DNT) setting enabled or European Economic Area (EEA) citizens. AdSense still uses cookies for rate-limiting and fraud prevention, but not ad personalization or tracking. requestNonPersonalizedAds=1 is part of AdSense’s GDPR APIs. https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/adsense-gdpr-consent

You also only see that particular message if your browser sends the DNT header, and an adblocker is detected.

In my case, I don't use an ad blocker, but I do use Privacy Badger, which is only supposed to block tracking, and should only block ads if they can't have their tracking disabled. It looks like Privacy Badger decided "pagead2.googlesyndication.com" should now be blocked as a tracking domain.

Perhaps Google should split off their nonpersonalized ads service into a different domain so such services can easily distinguish between the two?

Actually, this is something that should be fixed in Privacy Badger. They can detect the URL parameter that flips ads from personalized to non-personalized (npa=1) and block accordingly. https://github.com/EFForg/privacybadger/issues/2046

"use cookies to combat fraud and rate-limiting (not showing the exact same ads repeatedly)" and "you cannot opt out of showing ads to users based on their previous interactions with the advertiser, such as visits to an advertiser's website, known as remarketing"[1] sure sound like tracking to me. Far less invasive tracking than Google normally does, but clearly still tracking.

[1] https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/142293?hl=en

That doesn't make any sense. The point of privacy badger is to prevent cookies that track you across different domains.

Allowing tracking cookies just because a certain parameter is present is asking for abuse.

If you are serious about not tracking people, don't use tracking cookies.

Cookies is just a tool it all comes down to how you use it. Not all knifes are stabbing-people-to-death knifes.

Privacy badger is quite specific in what it blocks. It blocks third party tracking cookies that track you across multiple domains.

First party cookies are no problem. Third party cookies that are only used in one domain are no problem. Third party non-tracking cookies are no problem.

So it does block the equivalent of bringing a large knife to a bar.

Privacy badger doesn't have filters like this. That's the whole point. It sees Google doesn't respect the DNT header (it sets tracking cookies) and shuts it down. This is privacy badger working as intended.

Wow, I never knew that was an option. Now I wish my adblocker gave the option of allowing those ads. That sounds like what I'd hoped AdBlocks's Acceptable Ads program would be.