HACKER Q&A
📣 subroutine

What happens when you click [X] on a cookies popup?


When you visit a website that greets you with a cookies popup, the options are usually Agree, Disagree, or an [X] to close the popup. Does the action of closing the popup default to either of those choices? Does the law mandate a default behavior? Or is the [X] more of a chef's choice situation?


  👤 version_five Accepted Answer ✓
I regularly just ignore the box and scroll around it to read articles. I assume that it's already set the cookies when it shows you the box though, it's more for the principle than because I think it changes anything

👤 wcedmisten
Obviously this depends on the jurisdiction the website is complying with (e.g. US-only websites may not comply with GDPR), but since GDPR requires consent to be opt-in (cannot be assumed by default or have pre-checked consent boxes), I think a GDPR-compliant website cannot assume an [X] to mean the user is consenting to cookies.

👤 zzo38computer
I don't know. It might depend who set it up what they made it to do, but maybe someone will mean don't consent (especially if GDPR requirement, like another comment here mentions) but ask again next time because you did not answer the first time.