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.