You go to any website and it appears there. Do you want to accept cookies? Or only the necessary ones? Although clicking is instinctive today, the arrival of the cookie banner as mandatory on all websites in the European Union since the end of 2020 forever changed the landscape of the European internet.
In pursuit of privacy and avoiding the massive tracking that until then was done of our interests to show us advertising, this new standardized decoration appeared for all portals that used any type of these small fragments of code called cookies.
Now: What side effects has it had? Now we know, according to a report by the consulting firm Legiscope That’s quite a bit of time clicking ‘accept’ and a lot more money.
Cookie notices: good intentions, dubious results
The cookie regulations originated in a context of growing concern about online privacy. Over the past few years, users have become more aware of the use and abuse of their personal data by large technology companies. In this context, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union introduced measures to guarantee even deeper transparency and informed consent, although the warning banners already came from previous regulations.
Cookies, those small fragments of data that websites store on our devices, allow us to keep us logged into our accounts and personalize advertising according to our preferences. Although some are essential for the functioning of a page, many others track our habits without us realizing it. The regulations sought to change this, empowering us to decide what data we want to share.
In total, the Legiscope report estimates that in the EU we spend 575 million hours annually among all citizens accepting cookies and that this costs us more than 14 billion euros. For the purposes of Spain, which is the fourth country that invests the most hours, this represents 60 million hours and 1.5 billion euros.
The problem, far from being anecdotal, has significant economic and legal implications. As European countries try to compete in a global environment dominated by the United States and China, dedicating valuable resources to inefficient processes could be a luxury they cannot afford. The underlying debate is clear: is it time to rethink digital privacy laws towards more efficient models?
The figures for the time lost when “accepting cookies”
Analysis of the time Europeans spend on cookie banners reveals an efficiency problem, according to researchers. According to calculations, the average user interacts with 1,020 banners per year, spending approximately 1.42 hours annually just accepting or rejecting terms. At first glance it may not seem like much, but when you multiply it by the 404 million internet users in Europe, the result is overwhelming: 575 million hours annually.
The most populated countries such as Germany and France lead the time expenditure, with 107.35 and 86.85 million hours annually respectively. However, even smaller countries such as the Netherlands or Austria experience significant losses that, when translated into monetary terms, reflect an accumulated cost of 14,375 million euros.
The cost in productivity: What could we do with those hours?
The lost time has shocking equivalents: more than 287,500 full-time employees spending entire workdays clicking on these banners. This loss of productivity not only affects users, but also has repercussions on companies and public administrations that depend on agile interaction with their digital users.
The origin of banners: good intentions, failed execution
The origin of cookie banners dates back to ePrivacy Directive 2002/58a regulation designed to protect privacy in an emerging Internet. However, current reality greatly undermines these objectives. Most banners mainly serve to:
- Manage web analytics and ad efficiency.
- Allow the basic operation of small online businesses.
- Mitigate theoretical legal risks rather than avoid mass tracking.
Importantly, complex tracking mechanisms require legal procedures such as court orders, making comprehensive tracking unlikely for most users.
The Reality: Automatic Consent and User Fatigue
Constant exposure to these messages generates a “consent fatigue”where users, rather than reading the terms, accept everything out of inertia. This not only neutralizes the supposed benefits of regulation, but also reinforces a relationship of distrust towards digital platforms.
What alternatives are proposed?
Legiscope proposes some possible medium-term solutions, such as the exemption for small businesses: Grant exceptions to websites that use cookies exclusively for basic functions or analytics could free millions of users from unnecessary interactions. Furthermore, promoting technologies that manage cookies automatically according to user preferences would be a step towards a more fluid digital experience.
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