C is for ‘cookie,’ and that’s not good enough for me.
NOYB, the privacy organization based in Vienna, Austria, is moving on hundreds of companies who use unlawful cookie banners. They have sent over 500 draft complaints so far, hoping to end “cookie banner terror.”
Per NOYB, “users must be given a clear yes/no option. As most banners do not comply with the requirements of the GDPR, NOYB developed a software that recognizes various types of unlawful cookie banners and automatically generates complaints. Nevertheless, NOYB will give companies a step-by-step guide (PDF) on how to change software settings to comply with the law as well as a one-month grace period to comply with EU laws before filing the formal complaint.”
“Over the course of a year, NOYB will use this system to ensure compliance of up to 10,000 of the most visited websites in Europe.”
Per Max Schrems, “companies openly admit that only 3% of all users actually want to accept cookies, but more than 90% can be nudged into clicking the ‘agree’ button.”