They don't need consent for that.
> reliant on ads
Yes. For me, this has been eye-opening about how many different ad agencies there are snooping on my browsing history. It was bad enough when it was just the (UK) government passing a law to do that, now I've got websites with more "trusted partners" monitoring my every move than my high school had students.
> This is a nothing to hide argument
"Don't store PII" does not seem to be that, to me?
If anything, the opposite party gets that criticism, given that the default is allowing private agencies to spy on everyone?