Published · Norway
GDPRHigh severityEnforcement action
Norwegian Consumer Council files complaint against Schibsted over pay or okay consent scheme
The Norwegian Consumer Council and noyb have lodged a complaint against Schibsted for its “Pay or Okay” model that forces users to pay to refuse personalised‑ad tracking, which they say breaches GDPR consent requirements.
1 source · Norwegian Consumer Council
What happened
- Schibsted rolled out a “Pay or Okay” system on its Swedish sites in March and extended it to Norway, requiring payment to reject tracking. - The complaint argues the practice inflates consent rates to over 99% and does not constitute freely given consent under GDPR. - Consumer groups cite studies showing only a small fraction of users actually want to be tracked, highlighting the disparity. - The regulator’s action signals heightened scrutiny of consent‑bypass models across the Nordic region.
Why it matters
Other media publishers using similar pay‑to‑reject models could face regulatory challenges, so they should audit consent mechanisms to ensure refusal is truly free of charge.
Business impact
Businesses may need to redesign consent interfaces and update privacy notices, risking legal exposure and reputational damage if they continue to tie consent to payment.
Drafted automatically from the sources below. How we write summaries
Does this summary seem wrong?What to check
audit consent flowsHigh priority
Verify that users can refuse personalised tracking without any payment or other barrier.
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