Ten state data protection commissioners want to stop cookie tracking on German newspaper publishers’ websites extensively test. The media companies concerned are now receiving a questionnaire with which the data protection authorities want to find out whether the cookie banners used meet the requirements of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and whether website visitors are actually making a voluntary and informed choice. According to the authorities, it is mostly unclear what the data profiles are used for by various companies (such as social networks or advertising service providers).
The German Federal Court of Justice had ruled in its Judgment from 28 May 2020 first ruled that a pre-set checkbox to be selected by the website visitor does not constitute effective consent to the use of cookies for advertising purposes.