Consent-or-pay

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Consent-or-pay is a business tactic in response to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under this model, users of a website have to either:

1. Consent to the use of cookies and personal data for targeted advertising, or
2. Pay a recurring fee, usually a small monthly amount, to access the service without tracking.

The practice generated significant debate among regulators, policymakers, and consumer advocates. Critics describe it as a form of coercion which "coerces people to consent" and undermines meaningful consent. Despite controversy, the model is being increasingly adopted by large online platforms and news organizations. As of August 2025, 16 of the 50 largest UK news websites had implemented consent-or-pay.

Background

Main article: General Data Protection Regulation

How it works

When a user visits a website, a pop-up consent window is displayed. Traditional options would be Accept or Reject cookies. However the user is presented with the options to Accept or Pay.

• The payment is typically a low fee (around £1.99 per month).
• Many of the sites that use the model were previously free-to-access and funded primarily through advertising.
• Consumers must now “pay” either with their personal data or with money.

This effectively introduces a paywall for previously freely accessible content, even if no traditional subscription model exists.

Why it is a problem

If the theme or common term is positive for the consumer this section can be omitted.

Point 1

Point 2

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Meta investigation and fine

In 2024, Meta has been accused of employing sly workarounds for GDPR, including an earlier version of consent-or-pay. They have since changed the messaging and how its displayed; however, UK visitors to Facebook and Instagram must still choose between consenting to data collection or paying the monthly fee in order to access those platforms.

In June of 2025, the European Commission stated that Meta's continued practice of consent-or-pay may accrue daily fines.

Other uses

News organizations

News organization websites appear to be the most common practitioner of the consent-or-pay model, effectively paywalling their free content by collecting data or money. These organizations include:

• The Mirror
• The Independent

Response

Criticisms from policymakers

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Consumer response

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