A coalition of 19 privacy groups, consumer organizations, businesses and academics is calling on European lawmakers to revive a proposal that could dramatically reduce the number of cookie banners people encounter online.
The groups want websites and apps to recognize automated privacy signals sent by browsers, operating systems or other software. Instead of repeatedly accepting or rejecting tracking on individual websites, users could set their preferences centrally and have those choices communicated automatically.
The proposal was originally included in the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus package through Article 88b. The Commission presented the system as a way to reduce “cookie banner fatigue” while maintaining users’ control over access to information stored on their devices.
Under the proposed approach, browsers could transmit machine-readable signals indicating whether a person accepts or rejects certain uses of their data. Websites would then be required to respect those preferences instead of repeatedly requesting the same decision through pop-ups.
The Commission’s broader cookie reform would also simplify consent requests that remain necessary. Its proposal includes a one-click option for refusing cookies and would require websites to remember a user’s decision for at least six months.
Some lower-risk uses would no longer require consent. The Commission specifically points to purposes such as website statistics and aggregated audience measurement as examples that could qualify for exemptions.
However, the future of automated privacy signals is uncertain. EU member states removed Article 88b from the Council’s negotiating position in June, citing the need for further assessment. The European Parliament has not yet settled on its final position, meaning the rules could still change significantly before negotiations on a final law are completed.
Privacy advocates are now pushing to have the provision restored. Their September open letter argues that centralized privacy settings would provide a simpler way for people to exercise existing privacy rights while reducing repetitive consent requests and opportunities for websites to influence decisions through banner design.
The debate also has implications for online advertising and publishers. Industry representatives have raised concerns that automatic privacy signals could reduce the number of users consenting to tracking, potentially affecting businesses that depend on personalized advertising.
Even if the EU adopts the Commission’s approach, cookie banners would not necessarily disappear completely. The Commission’s own assessment expects the changes to significantly reduce and simplify their use rather than eliminate every consent request.