Cookie pop-ups are the internet’s new nemesis, and a recent iteration has taken the annoyance to a new level. Instead of the usual options to accept all cookies, accept only essential ones, or customise preferences, a new breed of pop-up offers just two choices: accept all cookies and allow extensive tracking, or pay a fee to access the site. This pay-or-track model feels wrong, and here’s why.
First, let’s understand the basics of cookies. Not all cookies are bad. Some are essential for remembering login information, making your online experience smoother. However, cookies that track your every move across the internet to serve targeted ads are intrusive. Having worked in marketing, I can confirm that these practices can be predatory, often targeting vulnerable groups like single mothers with gambling addictions.
The new pop-up model essentially extorts users into accepting tracking or paying a fee. This seems to contradict the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which mandates that consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. GDPR also states that withdrawing consent must be as easy as giving it. Websites that hide the option to reject cookies behind multiple clicks or paywalls are likely not compliant.
Article 7 of GDPR specifies that consent should not be a condition for accessing a service unless the processing of personal data is necessary for that service. Tracking users for advertising purposes is not necessary to access a website, making this new pop-up model a clear violation of GDPR.
Interestingly, this shift coincides with Google’s quiet reversal on blocking third-party cookies in Chrome, a move initially announced four years ago. Google’s business model relies heavily on advertising, so it seems they’ve decided that protecting user privacy isn’t worth the financial hit.
If you’re fed up with these cookie pop-ups, there are ways to fight back. First, consider using browsers like Safari or Firefox, which offer better privacy features and reader modes that strip away ads and pop-ups, leaving just the content you want to read. Ad blockers like Ad Block and U Block Origin are also effective, especially on Chrome.
For those particularly annoying websites that block access unless you accept cookies or pay, reader mode can often bypass these restrictions. Simply refresh the page in reader mode, and you’ll usually get the full article without the hassle.
Extensions like Super Agent can also help. This tool automatically rejects cookie pop-ups before the website even loads, saving you time and frustration. I’ve been using it for four years, and it has saved me a cumulative 21 hours of rejecting pop-ups.
For those who want to take it a step further, services like Incog can help protect your data. Incog seeks out data brokers that have your information and gets them to delete it, saving you time and reducing spam and targeted ads.
The internet should be a place where you can freely access information without being tracked or extorted. GDPR was designed to protect our privacy, and these new cookie pop-ups seem to violate both the spirit and the letter of the law. Until regulators step in, use these tools and tips to make your browsing experience as pleasant and private as possible.