Apr 6, 2020
Cookie Consent is Broken: Here’s How to Fix it
Is cookie consent even consent?
Based on the best available balance of evidence today, the answer is a resounding no.
In fact, even the tools most organisations are using (Consent Management Platforms or CMPs) to deliver cookie consent experiences fall short of the mark. Only 11.8% meet the minimum requirements of European Data Protection Law.
This is a problem. It contributes to surveillance capitalism. It enables the world’s largest ever data breach. It helps to cultivate digital resignation. It erodes trust and decreases the trustworthiness of the entire digital economy.
The problem is, it’s a surface level issue. Any ‘fixes’ to cookie consent are band aid solutions. We really need to step back and figure out what type of future we want to design.
The good news is these things can be done in parallel.
This video is about the band aid.
The specific design tactics I sketch out can be applied pretty easily. And they will actually help.
If you’re interested in the bigger picture, you can download our most recent report, ‘Designing a humanity centric digital economy’ here.
