BRUSSELS—The European Commission proposed dismantling the internet's cookie consent pop-ups, moving to centralize user privacy preferences inside web browsers and strip the decision away from individual websites.
The current system traces to a 2009 European law that gained new force after the General Data Protection Regulation took effect in 2018. GDPR required explicit consent for data collection, producing the banner advertisements now blanketing nearly every website on the continent.
For years, European users have faced a daily barrage of those pop-ups. The reflex to click "Accept All"—often without reading what that consent covers—has become routine.
Brussels called the current cookie consent mechanism one of its "peskiest laws" and a source of unnecessary red tape. The Commission said it wants to simplify online interactions and cut the daily burden on users.
Under the proposal, users would set cookie preferences once inside their browser. That single configuration would then signal their choices to every website they visit, eliminating site-by-site consent dialogues.
The Commission estimates European users collectively spend 198 million hours a year facing cookie consent forms. It said that time would be recovered under the new rules.
For technology companies and website operators, the change would eliminate the requirement to design, implement and maintain cookie banner systems, potentially cutting compliance costs.
Critics and privacy advocates point to a stubborn problem the proposal does not clearly solve: even when users click "Reject All," many websites continue tracking activity under the label of "legitimate interest," allowing hundreds of data-tracking elements to run without explicit consent.
Whether the browser-based approach actually empowers users or simply moves the same problem to a new interface remains an open question. Shifting consent to the browser simplifies the screen but may not touch the underlying tracking machinery.
The proposal's success also depends on major browser developers building the new preference system into their products and on the Commission setting clear technical standards to ensure consistent application across platforms.
The proposal now goes to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for review, debate and potential amendment before it can become law.
