Austrian data protection authority receives complaint against dict.cc over 1,741-click consent

What happened

• The Austrian Data Protection Authority has been served with a complaint by privacy NGO noyb.
• The complaint alleges that dict.cc’s consent banner forces users to grant access to 1,741 partner companies with one click, violating GDPR’s requirement for freely given, specific and informed consent.
• Noyb requests that the DPA order deletion of the unlawfully processed data and notify all recipients.
• The complaint highlights the practical impossibility for users to read the privacy policies of each partner, estimated at 170 hours of review.

Why it matters

Other website operators that bundle consent for hundreds of trackers face similar scrutiny and may be required to redesign consent flows to meet GDPR standards.

Business impact

Businesses will need to redesign consent mechanisms to allow granular, per‑partner selection, potentially increasing development costs and affecting ad‑tech revenue streams.

What to check

1. 1

   Audit consent bannersHigh priority

   Identify all third‑party trackers listed in consent dialogs and verify that each is offered as a separate, opt‑in choice.

2. 2

   Implement granular consentMedium priority

   Provide users with the ability to consent to each partner individually or to reject all by default.