In May 2018, the European Union (EU) implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a major component of EU privacy law. Privacy regulations like the GDPR have long been criticized by the online advertising industry as harmful to the digital economy. Critics argue that stricter privacy laws reduce online tracking, disrupt targeted advertising, and, as a result, weaken the ability of publishers and content creators to generate revenue and maintain free, high-quality content for users. But since its implementation, little attention has been directed to understanding the regulation’s possible effect on interactions between online news and media websites and their visitors.