Why can't I opt out of cookies once?

Question

Per GDPR, lots of websites now ask about consent for their cookie retention policies. Why isn't there an option to opt out of all of them a single time across all websites?

jaharios · Accepted Answer

I think you mean something like Do-not-track header [0] , which is not respected at 99% of the web and enabling it makes you even more traceable.
My solution is using Cookie auto delete [1] which deletes cookies after a set time and I don't care about cookies [2] which removes the annoying banners and popups.
[0] https://www.eff.org/issues/do-not-track
[1] https://github.com/Cookie-AutoDelete/Cookie-AutoDelete
[2] https://www.i-dont-care-about-cookies.eu/

jka · Answer

This may become part of the ePrivacy Regulation that is in discussion within the EU. Quoting from the description[1] of the proposed regulation:
"Simpler rules on cookies: the cookie provision, which has resulted in an overload of consent requests for internet users, will be streamlined. The new rule will be more user-friendly as browser settings will provide for an easy way to accept or refuse tracking cookies and other identifiers. The proposal also clarifies that no consent is needed for non-privacy intrusive cookies improving internet experience (e.g. to remember shopping cart history) or cookies used by a website to count the number of visitors."
There has been lobbying and back-and-forth on this particular topic in the regulation, and I don't know the current status of it.
[1] - https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/proposal-epriv...

jagger27 · Answer

Doing so would require your browser to set a cookie to remember your decision.There is no single framework for opting in or out of cookies. Every website that shows you a "cancel or allow" cookie dialog is just running their own custom JavaScript.

mtmail · Answer

Companies don't want you to opt-out, they have no incentive to make it easier than the GDPR regulations require. I think the annoying popup boxes in fact want to you give up and just click 'ok' rather than dealing with the fine-print.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Not_Track didn't catch on.

x775 · Answer

Disable cookies directly in your browser..? As for the obnoxious popups, if the above does not address those, several extensions will block them for you.

Why can't I opt out of cookies once?

Per GDPR, lots of websites now ask about consent for their cookie retention policies. Why isn't there an option to opt out of all of them a single time across all websites?

Doing so would require your browser to set a cookie to remember your decision.
There is no single framework for opting in or out of cookies. Every website that shows you a "cancel or allow" cookie dialog is just running their own custom JavaScript.

Companies don't want you to opt-out, they have no incentive to make it easier than the GDPR regulations require. I think the annoying popup boxes in fact want to you give up and just click 'ok' rather than dealing with the fine-print.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Not_Track didn't catch on.

Disable cookies directly in your browser..? As for the obnoxious popups, if the above does not address those, several extensions will block them for you.