● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
noyb Files GDPR Complaint Against dict.cc for 1,741-Partner Consent Request
Key points
- noyb filed a GDPR complaint against dict.cc.
- dict.cc requests consent for 1,741 tracking partners with one click.
- This practice is alleged to violate GDPR's informed consent requirement.
- The complaint addresses a common issue in online advertising.
GDPR Complaint Against dict.cc
noyb, a European non-profit organization, has filed a complaint against the online dictionary dict.cc. The complaint centers on dict.cc's consent mechanism, which allows users to agree to online tracking by 1,741 "partners" with a single click. This practice, according to noyb, makes it impossible for users to be adequately informed about who accesses their data and how it is used, thereby violating GDPR requirements for freely given, informed, specific, and unambiguous consent.
Background on Online Tracking and GDPR
Online advertising companies frequently track user browsing habits, interests, and locations to deliver personalized advertisements. Under EU privacy law, online tracking is illegal by default, necessitating explicit user consent for companies to collect such data. Consent banners are a common method for obtaining this permission. However, many banners request consent for hundreds or thousands of online advertising companies, which then share and sell user data, sometimes for purposes beyond advertising, including to law enforcement agencies.
The Challenge of Informed Consent
dict.cc's consent request involves 1,741 partner companies that would gain access to user devices and personal data. Reading the privacy policies for all these partners would take approximately 170 hours, or more than a week, making it impractical for users to understand the implications of their consent. This common industry practice, seen on other major websites, renders the concept of "informed consent" as required by the GDPR, effectively unattainable.
Legal Perspective
Felix Mikolasch, a data protection lawyer at noyb, stated that it would take days or weeks to properly read and comprehend the data protection policies of 1,741 companies. He emphasized that assuming such a process would lead to an informed decision is unreasonable. The complaint highlights the ongoing challenge of ensuring genuine informed consent in the context of complex online advertising ecosystems, even years after the GDPR's implementation.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
noyb has filed a GDPR complaint against the online dictionary dict.cc, alleging that its consent request for 1,741 tracking partners with a single click violates the requirement for informed consent. This complaint highlights a common issue where websites using online advertising present users with overly broad consent requests, making it difficult to understand data usage.