FDP leadership finds GDPR and cookie protection impractical

Christian Lindner, chairman of the German Free Democratic Party (FDP), spoke at a congress of major German magazine publishers about the current situation regarding data protection for online readers. In his opinion, the current cookie policy and the GDPR are not practical. Simpler procedures must be considered here, he said.

Revision is urgently needed

Surely you also have to agree to cookie agreements several times a day when you move around the World Wide Web. What is supposed to ensure data protection and user co-determination is sometimes really a bit annoying and can certainly negatively affect one or the other user experience. The chairman of the FDP, Christian Lindner, is a real thorn in the side of this procedure. In the context of the “Publishers Summit”, the presumed future member of the government spoke out in favor of a rethink. In particular, he said, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has been in force for a few years now, should be examined again in detail to determine its usefulness for everyday business. In his opinion, it lacks one thing above all: practicality. Lindner by no means wants to establish weaker data protection. Rather, he says, tools need to be established in the browser that allow users to clarify fundamental data protection issues in advance. Then there would no longer be the compulsion to have to answer cookie questions for each individual website.

Citizens are annoyed by cookie questions

Lindner’s suggestion is certainly no coincidence. After all, it has been simmering for quite some time, especially among Otto Normal users of the Internet, when it comes to the cookie issue. Having to answer the question every time about which cookies are allowed and which are not is considered annoying by the majority of the population. But it was not just about the cookie issue. Lindner also expressed his openness to an expansion of state support for publishers. This should happen above all when the focus is on journalistic content. The black-red coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel has already held out the prospect of such financial support. However, the funding in the millions never materialized.

User data elementary for digital journalism

In addition to Christian Lindner, other experts naturally also had their say at the congress. The president of the Association of German Newspapers (VDZ), Rudolf Thiemann, once again made clear how important user data is for survival in the digital market. Anyone who wants to make their content available free of charge on the web must of course earn their money in other ways. User data is indispensable for this. Thiemann says in this regard:

“Data protection law threatens the financial viability of digital magazine media”

As important as data protection may be, it apparently stands in the way of publishers when it comes to monetizing their content. Furthermore, Thiemann made an appeal to politicians:

“The dependence on complex user consents, however, does not lead politicians to make an effort to make it easier for us to obtain these consents.”

Data protection is a very high good, which should be of great importance, especially on the Internet. But surely Lindner is right when he talks about the fact that data protection must also be practical. The blanket “browser solution” he has thrown into the room is just a good idea for reconciling data protection and practicability. We are curious to see whether politicians can agree on a solution.