Austria deals blow to “Pay or Okay” consent model
The Austrian Federal Administrative Court confirmed that DerStandard’s “Pay or Okay” model breaches the GDPR. Users had to either accept tracking by hundreds of third parties or pay a subscription.
Authorities ruled that this coercive model invalidates consent, which must be free and specific.
Real consent rates drop to 1–7% when asked transparently, but the model forced 99.9% to agree.
The case may reach the EU Court of Justice, shaping the future of data-driven business models.