Will an EU privacy proposal lead to a more trustworthy or annoying internet?

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Will an EU privacy proposal lead to a more trustworthy or annoying internet?
Ben Rosen, Christian Science Monitor, 2017/01/11µ
Proposed legislation from the European Commission "would require companies to get the consent of users before accessing their digital information." In particular, the law would require web browsers, on installation, to ask users whether they want to allow websites to place cookies on their browser." This seems pretty minor, but the article predicts dire consequences. More...