It's called "pay-or-okay" (or "consent-or-pay") and there hasn't been many decisions on it yet which has led noyb to sue German DPAs: https://noyb.eu/en/years-inactivity-pay-or-ok-cases-noyb-sue...

There is one case where DPA ruled in favor of the company, but it's currently being appealed: https://noyb.eu/en/pay-or-ok-der-spiegel-noyb-sues-hamburg-d...

Another one ruled against company and court agreed: https://noyb.eu/en/court-decides-pay-or-okay-derstandardat-i...

It's not EU cookie banners that have ruined the internet, it's malicious compliance and dark pattens on behalf of those that want to track you.

As a reminder "EU cookie banners" are not required if you use cookies for site functionality. They are only required if your site uses these to track users.

This needs repeating, it's a common misconception (deliberately spread by many, too) that the EU requires cookie banners for all cookies.

> Am I crazy or is this website not allowing me to opt out of cookie tracking unless I sign up for a subscription?

Extremely common practice for newspapers websites, unfortunately.

When they force that, it's an invitation for me to open it in an incognito window. Track all you want, assholes!

Very common on EU news websites.

Workarounds include:

- reader mode

- "behind the overlay" extension (and others like it)

- archive.is

- probably many others

This is what made me disable JavaScript by default in 2018. I didn't even get this banner.

You are correct. Reader mode on Firefox shows the full article though.

Wow, yeah, that seems... illegal, no?

You Reject the undesirable ones (all!) and click Agree to Selected.