How many times have you been asked to set your cookies today? Those annoying messages that pop up on every website all the time.
They were designed to give users more power to say yes or no to their data being collected and used by websites and advertisers, but have ended up irritating everyone.
“Accept all” and “reject all” buttons on some sites have made it quicker. But there are still plenty of websites where you have to scroll through a list of on-off toggles if you really want to be diligent.
A new EU law could change that. But there is a fierce discussion about whether it is the right move.
Under proposals from the European Commission, you would be able to set your privacy settings once. Your decision would apply to all websites and you would very rarely have to see another pop-up or banner asking about cookies again.
“Simplification does not need to come at the expense of our rights,” says Claudio Teixeira from the European consumer organisation, BEUC.
Along with 18 other consumer rights organisations, BEUC is urging the EU institutions to push ahead with the plans.
But they fear that advertising giants and tracking companies are lobbying for the law to be watered down.
Big tech argue that the banners are required to be in “compliance with privacy laws” and cookie requests lead to an improved user experience.
The truth is cookies generate profits.
According to a leaked report apparently compiled by a consultancy firm for Google and dated March of this year, a simple one-click decision on all cookies applied across all websites you visit would cut the amount of money generated by adverts for European companies by up to €50 billion.
That equates to up to one-third of all European ad-revenue, the report states.
Money made from selling you personalised ads would be particularly hammered, according to the report.
But civil society organisations argue that using the internet has become a real hassle in Europe.
Lobbying by tech firms appears to have convinced some member states not to back the so-called ‘kill the cookie banner’ clause, Article 88b of the proposed law, the Digital Omnibus.
“It would be absurd if the responsible decision makers reject an opportunity to significantly improve the digital environment for all people,” said Ursula Pachl from NOYB, the European Center for Digital Rights.
“There is no valid justification to drop the Commission’s proposal for Article 88b and to uphold the current cookie banner disaster. This is a moment of truth for the EU to show what values it cares about and what are its priorities.”