{"id":19577,"date":"2026-05-27T09:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T07:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/it-u.at\/?p=19577"},"modified":"2026-05-27T12:54:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:54:02","slug":"itu-research-provides-a-foundation-for-eu-privacy-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/it-u.at\/en\/news\/itu-research-provides-a-foundation-for-eu-privacy-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"IT:U research provides a foundation for EU privacy reform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

IT:U research is helping inform current European discussions on digital privacy reform, particularly efforts to move beyond repetitive cookie banners towards more automated privacy controls based on individual preferences.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, during public talks, IT:U scholar Dr Soheil Human<\/a> put a simple question to hundreds of people: \u201cCan you remember what you agreed to when you clicked on any cookie banners yesterday?\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer, he says, has been remarkably consistent: nobody remembers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe system is designed to be forgotten,\u201d<\/strong> says Dr Soheil Human, scholar of human rights and technology<\/a> at IT:U and cognitive scientist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people, he argues, click through cookie banners simply to access the website they want to visit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cUnder current law, withdrawing consent should be as easy as giving it. But how can you withdraw something you do not even remember doing?\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\nDr Soheil Human, scholar of human rights and technology at IT:U. <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"© supplied<\/span><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

ADPC was presented and discussed at the expert workshop \u201cWeb Standards for Data Protection in the EU\u201d in Brussels in May 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making digital rights more human-compatible <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Human and his colleagues are contributing research and technical expertise to EU reform<\/a> discussions on the proposed Article 88b GDPR through their work on Advanced Data Protection Control (ADPC), a family of automated and machine-readable mechanisms for communicating privacy choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research is carried out in collaboration with the Vienna University of Economics and Business and a wider network of partners, including academia and civil society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aim is to reduce the burden on individuals who are expected to respond to consent banners on almost every website they visit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, a browser could send a digital signal in response to a consent request, informing websites whether a person consents to certain forms of data processing, such as tracking.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Websites would then be expected to respect that choice for a defined period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr Human, this approach could help address \u201cconsent fatigue\u201d,<\/strong> the exhaustion caused by repeatedly clicking through cookie banners.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would also shift control over privacy preferences closer to individuals, rather than leaving it primarily with websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current cookie banners \u2018a trap\u2019 for children<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Human argues current cookie banners are especially problematic for children, because they often treat them as if they were adults, where \u201cconsent obtaining is often a trap rather than a meaningful choice\u201d. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe goal is to move from \u2018protection by clicking\u2019 to \u2018protection by architecture\u2019. If implemented correctly, we hope this will help ensure that children\u2019s rights are better supported and protected online.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\nDr Soheil Human, scholar of human rights and technology at IT:U.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It would work like a digital shield by involving parents and guardians in the management of privacy choices and prevent young users from agreeing to tracking through potentially confusing pop-ups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue is also not limited to cookie banners either: Automated privacy signals could also become part of the technical infrastructure to support proposed future Austrian<\/a> and EU<\/a> policies on the social media age limits.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential benefits for businesses<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Human also points out that more standardized privacy controls could benefit businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, companies often spend significant resources designing, maintaining, and updating cookie banners and consent systems across different areas and user groups.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A more standardized approach could reduce this burden by replacing fragmented consent interfaces with clearer technical signals, he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Commission has introduced the “Digital Omnibus,” a legislative package designed to overhaul several key digital laws, including the GDPR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A part of the proposal is Article 88b, which aims to end the constant barrage of cookie banners.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If adopted, tech companies and browser providers would then need to update their systems and make this automated privacy standard a reality over the next few years.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IT:U research is helping inform current European discussions on digital privacy reform, particularly efforts to move beyond repetitive cookie banners towards more automated privacy controls based on individual preferences.  For years, during public talks, IT:U scholar Dr Soheil Human put a simple question to hundreds of people: \u201cCan you remember what you agreed to when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":19584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIT:U research provides a foundation for EU privacy reform | IT:U<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/it-u.at\/en\/news\/itu-research-provides-a-foundation-for-eu-privacy-reform\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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