The problem with all those search providers is: Someone still has to pay for infrastructure. You can either donate/pay for the service or accept ads and tracking.
(I know that YaCy works a bit differently, but honestly even though I really like the idea of the system: This "novel" search engine is almost 20 years old now and never really worked very good.)
Wait until you hear about these things called "books"…
Do you also need my mother's maiden name?
Du hast halt oben mit der StVO argumentiert...
So the law works.
Yet there is some truth to the comment. If we want a better less ad-dependend web we will have to address the topic of financing the infrastructure.
I think at least for me it would be cheaper to rent or "buy" movies à la carte on YouTube and similar platforms than subscribing to that amount of services.
The fine is $1,143 BTW
Yet it would be interesting to hear, why this shocks you so much. :)
Is it because you don't think search engines are a service worth paying for or because Google, Bing, DDG … are free?