Not just infuriating, but potentially dangerous. If a website uses my audio to play a 100% volume sound without my consent and I had my headphones up high to hear a subtle recording, I might get permanent hearing damage.

Every time the concept of a "Web Bill of Rights" comes up, I want Article I to be: no use of audio without express user consent. That consent might be stored for a time on a per domain basis, but only for 1st party content.

This seems at odds with the conventional wisdom around here RE: adblock. You're simply requesting bytes from a server, what your computer does with them is up to you (and therefore your responsibility). You should probably configure your system so website have no ability to autoplay.

And it's 4:26 in the morning and there are people sleeping near you.

Or you're at work or in class. UX designers should always err on the side of "don't risk getting the user fired".