NOYB Consent or Pay study finds users prefer advertising, but no tracking option
04/12/2025 | NOYB
Austrian privacy and digital rights advocacy group NOYB has commissioned an academic study into the rise of Consent or Pay online business models ahead of the much-anticipated European Data Protection Board (EDPB) guidelines, examining whether users are given a genuine free choice. The study found that while only two in ten people generally agree to data collection, about nine in ten choose the consent option when faced with a paywall, suggesting "consent" is driven by a lack of a reasonable alternative. Crucially, when an "advertising, but no tracking" option was offered, seven in ten users chose it. Interestingly, NOYB's findings support the inclusion of a third, non-tracking option, confirming users accept advertising but reject online tracking.
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