Data protection on the net: Are subscriptions really advertising? Experts clarify!

Data protection on the net: Are subscriptions really advertising? Experts clarify!

On December 8, 2024, the debate about ad -free news formats in Germany and Austria took a new turn. As the platform Kicker.at , the introduction of so-called PUR subscriptions in Germany is intensively discussed. This model allows readers to consume articles without advertising and tracking, but represents some challenges in terms of data protection.

PUR-ABOS in focus

In the past few months, large German news portals, inspired by the Austrian standard, have introduced similar subscription models. These measures, such as on netzpolitik.org , are an answer to the increasing requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to Matthias Eberl, a journalist and data protection officer, the demand for advertising and tracking-free content has increased what the industry has moved to these steps. At the same time, it is necessary for publishers to find a balance between the income from advertising and the protection of the privacy of users.

The challenges are significant. With the PUR subscriptions of the mirror and the time, studies were able to show that they still contain tracking elements that could violate the GDPR. For example, the mirror uses services such as Adobe Analytics for certain aspects of its analysis, which leads to concerns about privacy. In contrast to this, the subscription from Standard.at offers a really advertising -free and tracking -free reading experience, but remained on the outside of the implementation.

The latest developments show that readers are increasingly weighing up between free offers and payment models that promise more data protection. At a time when digital content is inevitable, publishers must find innovative and legally compliant solutions in order to protect the balance between economic interests and the protection of users.