IAB Europe has just published useful insights from many trade associations into the economic and legal rationale behind “consent or pay” models. These insights are a great summary of the key benefits and conditions under which these business models make sense, as well as related legal considerations. I know this well, as I have been…
I saw another post like “want to use [content ABC] for free & legally? Use this ad bypasser”. This one was on how to play music on a big video platform by using a specific browser to avoid any “annoying ads”. Setting aside ethical concerns, is it really “legal”? Some (e.g. one of the most…
Looking back + forwards, 4 big topics for me on LinkedIn in 2024 & likely still for 2025 are the following:– ePrivacy– “Consent or Pay”– AI & personal data– Cybersecurity The key ePrivacy topic was the European Data Protection Board’s guidelines on the technical scope of Art. 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive – basically, “to…
A must-watch: here is the recording of our fun CPDP2024 panel discussion on the EU data strategy (covering GDPR, DMA, AI Act, fundamental rights, Pay Or OK and much more re data protection). The other panel participants were Patricia Vidal Martinez, Luca Bolognini and Rob van Eijk, and it was moderated by Cecilia Alvarez. Really…

Illustration: Dall-E rendering of just how potentially evil the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and certain privacy rights campaigners view the “Pay or Consent” approach + large companies. I didn’t try to get any drug cartel references in there, though as a lawyer acting for adtech companies I have been likened to a drug cartel…

Reading through the CNIL’s new decision against Yahoo on cookies brings back to mind a question that has stuck with me for well over a decade: what is the exact reasoning that has led many EU-based authorities to say that advertising cookies/etc. are not strictly necessary for the provision of a service, and why does…

“Pay or data” and cookie walls are clearly controversial topics, but I feel something needs to be said regarding their justification – else LinkedIn and the broader web may seem to be a very anti-business environment from a data protection perspective, based on various posts and articles I have seen in recent months. Running a…