Internet: Data Protection

(asked on 20th February 2026) - View Source

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will ask Ofcom to investigate the consent or pay model for websites.


Answered by
Ian Murray Portrait
Ian Murray
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This question was answered on 2nd March 2026

Consent or pay models are used by some websites to gather consent for the use “storage and access technologies”, the most common of which is cookies. The rules around consent for such technology are governed by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). The relevant regulator overseeing PECR is the Information Commissioner's Office, who last year published guidance on how websites can deploy consent or pay legally: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/online-tracking/consent-or-pay/

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