I believe the filter just hides the cookie banner (which I believe on many sites means you accept all), where consent-o-matic actually accepts & rejects according to your preferences.

Regarding why an update, as there are many sites that it doesn’t automatically accept/decline, and having an update will have it done automatically rather having to manually set.

One idea for the bathrooms, is getting a doctor that knows your kids the most (most commonly that would be a family doctor, but if a kid has a reason to have a specialized doctor then go to that one) to get a signed letter that tells the school to give the kid(s) unrestricted access to the bathroom. Then give that to the school and the school basically has to do what the doctor says (because you or the doctor could put up a fight if they don’t).

Kids could also make the data useless by checking in to multiple places, or leaving it somewhere in the school (for example).

Those of us whose kids can commute on our own, take it for granted.

Taking a real example (but not exactly where I live): 916 Clearview Dr in South Carolina has a nearby school that is a two-minute drive and about 16-minute walk. However, most of the way there doesn’t have any sidewalks, so kids can’t walk safely (which means there will be very few crossing guards), and the cars only have stop signs. Some of the areas that are passed are very run down and may have gang activity (which makes it unsafe for the kids). There might also not be any school buses as they could be considered too close, or the area doesn’t have the funding.

We also can’t forget about the parents as they may have a tight schedule and it’s better for them to drive (ensuring both the kids get to school, and they get to work).

The full article (for those who don’t have a paid 404 Media subscription) can be read at https://web.archive.org/web/20261029143048/https://www.404media.co/manifestos-fear-and-loser-thinking-inside-protons-ai-reckoning/.

Keywords (for those searching): bypass paywall, archive copy

If you want to read a Canadian perspective on this, CBC has an article on this exact thing.

They mention in the US they are affiliated with the US branch of Communications Workers of America (CWA). “Separately, the WWU-UK branch has affiliated with United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW), a national branch of the Communication Workers Union (CWU).” You can see their FAQ for more details.