Why do websites ask users to accept cookies?
Cookies are small text files that websites store on your device to track things like whether you are logged in, what pages you visit, preferences you set (like language), and in many cases, your behaviour for analytics or advertising.
Under EU privacy laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy rules, websites must get your explicit consent before placing non-essential cookies (such as analytics or advertising cookies) on your device. Consent must be freely given, informed, specific, and unambiguous before cookies that track personal behaviour are placed.
That is why you see those banners asking you to “accept all cookies” or “manage preferences.”
What is a cookie wall?
A cookie wall is when a website blocks access to content until the user clicks “Accept all.” Some sites even add a paywall alternative (pay to avoid tracking) or require account creation.
Under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, consent must be freely given and informed. Consent that is forced as a condition of access is generally not considered valid, since the user doesn’t have a real choice. For consent to be free, there should be a genuine alternative that doesn’t force tracking.
Many EU data protection authorities have taken the view that cookie walls that leave users with no real alternative violate the requirement for free consent. That said, enforcement varies across countries and regulators, and some sites still use cookie walls or “pay to reject” models while authorities catch up.
Why are cookie banners everywhere?
There are a few reasons this trend emerged:
- Strict privacy rules in the EU (GDPR, ePrivacy), requiring consent for non-essential cookies.
- Interpretations by regulators that users must be given clear reject options at the same level of visibility as “accept.”
- Marketing and tracking business models that depend on user consent to collect analytics or serve ads.
- Dark pattern designs, where cookie banners are intentionally misleading or make rejecting harder than accepting. Researchers show many banners still nudge users toward accepting even when the legal framework demands neutrality.
Together, these factors have made cookie banners ubiquitous and often frustrating.
The EU's proposed changes
As of late 2025, the European Commission has put forward new proposals to modernise how cookie consent works, aiming to solve the very problems many users are frustrated with: repetitive pop-ups and unclear choices.
One of the most significant proposals is to shift cookie consent from per-site banners to a centralised browser-level mechanism. Under this idea:
- Users could set their cookie preferences once in their browser or operating system.
- Websites would be obligated to respect those preferences automatically.
- This would greatly reduce repetitive cookie pop-ups on virtually every site.
This change is part of a broader initiative often referred to as the Digital Omnibus Proposal, which looks to simplify and harmonise EU data privacy and digital rules.
What the proposal would change in practice
First of all, preferences saved in the browser would apply across websites, meaning you wouldn’t have to give consent on each site individually. Initially, simpler “yes or no” prompts may remain, but the long-term goal is to eliminate the need for repeated consent banners. The proposal aims to keep data protection strong while reducing friction.
These rules still need approval by the European Parliament and EU member states, a process that could take time and involve changes before becoming law.
User experience and privacy
Under the current system users encounter cookie banners on nearly every website they visit. Many users click “accept all” out of frustration, not clear choice, and that undermines the legal goal of informed, free consent. The trend of cookie walls and forced “accept all” banners arises from strict EU privacy rules, but it has led to widespread annoyance and questionable consent validity.
Under the proposed changes, users could control cookie preferences once in the browser and websites would have to respect those settings without showing a banner each time. This aims to balance privacy protection with a smoother web experience.
Money for privacy
Will the EU proposal work? The browser-level consent solution weakens cookie walls, but it does not remove the economic incentive behind them. It is designed to fix a structural problem, constant pop-ups and coerced consent. It doesn’t outlaw advertising, tracking, or paid alternatives. As a result, cookie walls may change form rather than disappear entirely.
Websites are looking for ways to monetise attention, including money in exchange for privacy. The EU proposal changes the mechanics, not the underlying business model.
The underlying problem
The core issue is economic, not technical. Behavioural advertising is far more lucrative than contextual ads. News, blogs, and independent media rely heavily on ad revenue. Subscription fatigue is already high, but ad-free access still has market value.
As tracking consent rates fall, which browser-level consent would accelerate, many publishers will face a choice: accept lower ad revenue, shift to contextual advertising, push subscriptions or micropayments, reduce output or, ultimately, consolidate.
Cookie walls today are often a defensive reaction to declining consent, not a long-term strategy.
The likely outcome
The most realistic outcome isn’t a tracking-free web, but a more honest one. We will likely see fewer intrusive banners, fewer deceptive consent designs, more explicit statements such as “This content is funded by advertising”, and a clearer divide between free, tracked content and paid, private access.
In other words, the pressure will shift from interface manipulation to economic choice. Consent fatigue has broken the original GDPR consent model. Browser-level consent restores meaning to refusal, but it does not force publishers to give content away for free.
However, what the proposal wants to achieve is something more subtle: it ensures that if you are being tracked, it is because you chose to be, not because the interface wore you down.