By Rafael Sotelo
Content manager at Marketing4eCommerce
ANDThe end of the cookie era is being more tumultuous than expected, at least in Spain. Thus, in mid-December we told you about the controversy that arose when ElDiario.es began to display a banner in which it showed its users two options: free browsing without advertising, for which they must accept cookies; or browsing without advertising in exchange for paying a subscription starting at 1 euro per week.
Given the doubts that arose, at that time we explained to you that in accordance with the AEPD (Spanish Data Protection Agency) regulations of July 2023, it was feasible to opt for this option: "There may be certain cases in which non-acceptance of the use of cookies prevents access to the website, or the total or partial use of the service, provided that the user is adequately informed about this, and an alternative is offered, not necessarily free, to access the service without having to accept the use of cookies."
That controversy, before Christmas, was rekindled in recent days belgium number data when other media began to follow this same approach, requesting payment from their users to avoid cookies, as we see in the case of Eleconomista.es:
Eleconomista cookie banner
This move, which has once again generated a wave of criticism on X , comes on the heels of a new publication by the AEPD , published on January 11, entitled "Guide to the use of cookies for audience measurement tools . "
This guide focuses on cookies used for the purpose of obtaining traffic or performance statistics , clarifying that they " may be exempt from consent under certain conditions ."