๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ป๐ผ๐!
๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ (๐ฉ๐๐๐):
It’s clear: Cookie consent must be freely given and equally accessible โ meaning that users must not be disadvantaged if they choose not to give their consent.
The Data Protection Authority required a website operator to modify its cookie banner so that there was an ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ “๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐” ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
The VwGH upheld this decision, emphasizing:
- ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ .
- Requiring ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
- ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ปs (e.g., a green โAcceptโ button vs. a subtle โShow purposesโ link) ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
- A footer link allowing users to reject cookies later is not sufficient if users must first interact with the banner before accessing the full website.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: Companies should reassess their cookie banners to ensure compliance. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒโanything else could be legally problematic.
VwGH 16.1.2025, Ra 2024/04/0424