Shock for readers: Modern online tracking is so dangerous!

Shock for readers: Modern online tracking is so dangerous!

On December 15, 2024, the debate about data protection in Germany and Austria gained driving. Two of the most prominent German news portals have presented their new PUR subscriptions that promise to offer a largely advertising experience. But as kicker.at , the reality often remains behind the promises. While the mirror and time want to offer your readers a easier reading experience without much advertising, the use of tracking technologies is still a problem. The GDPR requirements that require informed consent do not seem to be fully fulfilled in the new models.

tracking despite promise

These PUR models seem to meet the needs of the readers for less advertising, but reality looks different. In fact, both publishers continue to use tracking software that not only collects data about reading behavior, but also contributes to the creation of user profiles. The netzpolitik.org reported that the mirror is sent to Facebook during the registration process, which undermines the alleged freedom of advertising. The situation is similar in the time that Google Analytics uses, which means that data could also be passed on to third parties, even if the publisher is convinced of complying with the legal requirements.

In contrast to these models, the Austrian News page Standard.at introduced the first really advertising -free and tracking -free subscription into the German -speaking area. There are no tracking or analysis tools, which makes the subscription to be extremely attractive for data protection-conscious users. In an age in which anonymous surfing and data protection play an ever greater role, Standard.at offers a welcome alternative to the common offers of the big German publishers.