UK news sites enact consent-or-pay for data tracking

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The Mirror and The Independent are UK-based news sites that have recently enacted the consent-or-pay model, creating a binary choice where readers must either consent to cookies or pay to avoid the data tracking. This consent-or-pay model began rolling out on various websites when the UK and EU passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Picture of The Mirror privacy settings when you go to their website. (taken 15 August 2025)

Background

After the GDPR passed in 2018, some companies responded to the regulation by enacting consent-or-pay, a model where users can either consent to data tracking via cookies or must pay a small sum to reject all cookies. The purpose of the payment is to offset the loss of ad revenue per viewer.

The Mirror

The Mirror is the example I gave as the picture. This displays a site where you are told that you need to pay to reject cookies for £1.99 per month to not get tracked via cookies.. It is also worth noting that the site which tells you that you need to pay to reject cookies says this.

We have introduced these choices in accordance with data protection regulations.

This makes no sense as The Telegraph, which is another UK-based newspaper, does not force you to accept cookies without paying for it. Additionally, the fact that you have to pay to avoid this doesn't help the cause, either.

The Independent

The independent is another example of something that you need to pay for to reject cookies. It says that 'Free-thinking, independent journalism needs your support'.