The EU's plan to tackle 'cookie fatigue'

"Many Europeans have long stopped taking notice of cookies that pop up on their browsers and press "accept" (roughly 54% of Europeans) or "deny" (26%) - without much afterthought. Naturally, even fewer take the time to check their privacy settings regularly to see who has access to their search history. The problem was dubbed "cookie fatigue," and the European Commission has outlined plans in the Digital Omnibus for a new system that could address it."

"With the Digital Omnibus package, particularly Articles 88b, the EC sets out plans for amendments to create a centralised framework where a user gives or refuses consent to processing via a single-click, machine-readable button, and the data controller has a right to re-ask the same question only after 6 months. The EC summarises the awaited positive effects in the Digital Omnibus through four dimensions: fewer cookie banners, more transparency, more clarity on when consent can be re-asked and a centralised approach to consent, which makes it less burdensome for both consumers, the public sector and European companies."

"The EC's own analysis of the socio-economic benefits of centralised browser-level consent estimates savings of €820 million for businesses, €320 million for the public sector, due to not having to spend resources on their own cookie-consent mechanisms anymore. The estimates for productivity savings - roughly €4,98 billion per year - seem to be slightly inflated, as they calculate the number of a basic user's visits against the number of seconds a person spends clicking cookie consent banners, arguing that the new proposal can help increase productivity by €4,98 billion per year."

"However, critics state that the new system may create new gatekeepers, won't address the issue of consumer online literacy, and will result in European businesses having to spend more on online advertising."

Many Europeans ignore cookie pop-ups and rarely review privacy settings. Cookie fatigue has been addressed through proposed changes in the Digital Omnibus, including amendments that create a centralized framework for consent. Users would give or refuse consent through a single-click, machine-readable button. Data controllers would be allowed to re-ask the same consent question only after six months. The European Commission expects fewer cookie banners, greater transparency, clearer rules on when consent can be re-requested, and reduced burdens for consumers, the public sector, and European companies. The Commission estimates business savings of €820 million and public sector savings of €320 million, plus productivity gains estimated at about €4.98 billion per year, though critics question the productivity calculation method.

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