EU Member States (and Google) suddenly want to keep cookie banners!

GDPR Policy For years, users and many companies have been complaining about cookie banners. Even though this understandable frustration is mostly caused by misleading dark patterns used by the industry, these banners have become the symbol of what is perceived as excessive EU regulation. As part of the ‘Digital Omnibus’, the European Commission now finally wanted to get rid of cookie banners and replace them with an automated signal. However, Google and some of the very EU Member States that are actually calling on the EU to “simplify” and “cut red tape” – including Germany and France, for example – are now standing in the way. In the Council’s latest position paper of 18 June, the plan to abolish the cookie banner has been scrapped. This baffling outcome is likely to continue to cost European users a great deal of hassle, frustration and billions of clicks per year. Proposal and reasoning of the European Commission (see Article 88b)Council position of 18 June (published by Politico)Go