A coalition of 19 civil society organizations, businesses, and academics has sent an open letter to European Union legislators urging them to support a proposal to remove cookie consent banners.

The coalition considers these banners to be a tool of "malicious compliance" designed by the online tracking sector to encourage users to waive their rights, while tracking is prohibited by default. It supports a European Commission proposal for autumn 2025, as part of the "Digital Omnibus Package," aiming to introduce automated and legally binding privacy signals through a new Article 88 ter of the GDPR. This mechanism would allow users to set their preferences once, which would then be automatically communicated to websites and applications.

Due to lobbying by the sector, several Member States oppose this measure, and the Council has removed Article 88 ter from its position. However, amendments have been submitted to the European Parliament to maintain and improve the proposal. The signatory organizations, including the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), European Digital Rights (EDRi), and noyb, call on the European Union institutions to adopt this measure to strengthen the right to data protection.