A coalition of privacy and digital rights groups has launched a campaign to kill cookie banners. The organisations want browser-level privacy settings to replace repeated consent pop-ups.
The campaign is called “Kill the cookie banner.” It follows the removal of a proposed EU rule on one-time privacy choices.
Privacy groups want one permanent tracking choice
The proposal would let users set privacy preferences once through a browser or device. Websites would then have to respect that choice automatically.
As a result, users would not face repeated prompts to accept or reject tracking. The change could also reduce so-called cookie fatigue.
The measure was called Article 88b GDPR. It appeared in the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus proposal in November 2025.
Privacy group noyb said the current system pressures people to accept tracking. For example, many users click through banners to access a website quickly.
Campaign says cookie banners are broken by design
Noyb leads the campaign with consumer, civil liberties and digital rights groups. The coalition includes groups from Europe and other regions.
Supporters include BEUC, Check My Ads, EDRi and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In addition, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties backs the campaign.
The groups argue that cookie banners are not required by the GDPR itself. Instead, they say the banners come from an advertising model built around tracking.
Many people click “accept” to close the prompt. Therefore, they may not actually want websites to track them.
Google and Meta opposed the proposed changes
The campaign accuses major technology firms and EU states of blocking the plan. It specifically names Google and several member states.
Google called for Article 88b to be removed. It argued that the rule could damage website monetisation and customer acquisition.
The company also warned about lower consent rates. Consequently, it said restricted data access could affect online services.
Meta called for wider changes to the EU’s cookie rules. It proposed removing Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive.
That rule generally requires consent before websites access data on a user’s device. However, Meta suggested a system with more legal grounds for data collection.
Privacy groups opposed that approach. They warned it could permit some data collection without clear consent.
EU Council removed the cookie banner proposal
The public consultation on the Digital Omnibus package closed on 11 March 2026.
The EU Council later removed Article 88b from its position. Meanwhile, noyb said France, Germany and Poland supported the existing approach.
Noyb has blamed lobbying from Google and the tracking industry. However, Google disputes the proposal’s benefits and warns of consequences for publishers.
European Parliament could still revive the plan
The European Parliament has not yet adopted its position. Privacy groups now hope MEPs will restore the browser-level privacy plan.
The campaign asks users to contact selected members of the European Parliament. It also lists MEPs on two relevant parliamentary committees.
Its message is straightforward. Users should make one privacy choice, rather than face the same prompt on every website.
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