←back to thread

Internet's biggest annoyance: Cookie laws should target browsers, not websites

(nednex.com)
582 points SweetSoftPillow | 1 comments | 22 Oct 25 12:12 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
michaelmauderer ◴[22 Oct 25 12:36 UTC] No.45668112[source]▶
The problem here is not the law, but malicious compliance by websites that don't want to give up tracking.

"Spend Five Minutes in a Menu of Legalese" is not the intended alternative to "Accept All". "Decline All" is! And this is starting to be enforced through the courts, so you're increasingly seeing the "Decline All" option right away. As it should be. https://www.techspot.com/news/108043-german-court-takes-stan...

Of course, also respecting a Do-Not-Track header and avoiding the cookie banner entirely while not tracking the user, would be even better.

replies(27): >>45668188 #>>45668227 #>>45668253 #>>45668318 #>>45668333 #>>45668375 #>>45668478 #>>45668528 #>>45668587 #>>45668695 #>>45668802 #>>45668844 #>>45669149 #>>45669369 #>>45669513 #>>45669674 #>>45670524 #>>45670593 #>>45670822 #>>45670839 #>>45671739 #>>45671750 #>>45673134 #>>45673283 #>>45674480 #>>45675431 #>>45678865 #
crazygringo ◴[22 Oct 25 12:52 UTC] No.45668318[source]▶
No, the problem is 100% the law, because it was written in a way that allows this type of malicious compliance.

Laws need to be written well to achieve good outcomes. If the law allows for malicious compliance, it is a badly written law.

The sites are just trying to maximize profit, as anyone could predict. So write better laws.

replies(20): >>45668365 #>>45668389 #>>45668443 #>>45668540 #>>45668630 #>>45668809 #>>45668823 #>>45668886 #>>45669084 #>>45669675 #>>45670704 #>>45671579 #>>45672352 #>>45672518 #>>45672991 #>>45673713 #>>45674575 #>>45675918 #>>45676040 #>>45676756 #
michaelmauderer ◴[22 Oct 25 13:02 UTC] No.45668443[source]▶
But the courts are saying: the law does NOT allow this.

So maybe “malicious compliance” is a misnomer. We should just call it "illegal dark pattern".

replies(4): >>45668518 #>>45668736 #>>45668841 #>>45671429 #
immibis ◴[22 Oct 25 16:18 UTC] No.45671429{3}[source]▶
But the laws do allow this. It's illegal to make the user experience worse if you decline tracking, or to make it harder to decline tracking than to accept it, but it's not illegal to annoy the user on every page load.
replies(1): >>45673521 #
fsflover ◴[22 Oct 25 18:52 UTC] No.45673521{4}[source]▶
> illegal to make the user experience worse

> not illegal to annoy the user on every page load

This looks like a contradiction to me.

replies(2): >>45673608 #>>45673700 #
immibis ◴[22 Oct 25 19:07 UTC] No.45673700{5}[source]▶
> if you decline tracking

please read the second half of the clause, kthx

replies(1): >>45676182 #
1. mort96 ◴[22 Oct 25 22:54 UTC] No.45676182{6}[source]▶
Wait you're saying that the websites in question ask for your consent on every page load even if you give it to them? I was under the impression that they typically pester you for consent until you give it to them, then remember your choice once you "consent"