That's incorrect, and at this point, it seems like you either don't know Medium or are engaging in gaslighting here. The Medium paywall is not always a choice, as Medium has placed many stories behind it without the creators' consent and doesn't pay everyone either. Furthermore, you guys display those paywall ads on all articles now. I'm not referring to the OP's case but speaking generally. Although it does seem that Clive, being a blogger, is apparently under a secret contract with Medium to write premium content for the website.
The paywall is the author's choice and anyone is free to reject creating a Medium account, no damage done on either side. OP's second objection on the other hand looks less "rejectable" than a paywall because the damage is done before you have the chance to reject it:
> By using Medium, you agree to our Privacy Policy, including cookie policy.
Medium's implicit assumption that by clicking on their link the user accepted the policies is illegal under GDPR. It doesn't give the chance to reject before being tracked.
You misunderstood me, it wasn't OP's implication, it's Medium's. Medium implies that by clicking on their link I agreed with their ToS/cookies (so tracking). This is not just a wrong implication, it's an illegal one.
The person I was replying to above only referred to the paywall issue when I think the main basis for the initial plea to avoid Medium was the second point, Medium's objectionable or illegal practices (not just "terrible") against its users. It's sensible to plea not using it or at least not promoting it here.
No. I shall not.
> To make Medium work, we log user data. By using Medium, you agree to our Privacy Policy, including cookie policy.
That's now how this works.
Please don't use Medium, post to Medium, or share Medium links. Sites like this are a cancer on the Internet.