
Anysia Nguyen
Research Advisor
This project was carried out in 2023 as part of a framework agreement with the Interministerial Directorate for Public Transformation (DITP). We supported the DITP’s behavioral sciences team at the request of the National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties (CNIL).
In 2018, the European Union introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), giving rise to the appearance of “cookie” banners.
Unfortunately, the design of these banners often proves problematic, regularly preventing Internet users from making a choice aligned with their data sharing preferences.
To address this, the DITP and the CNIL requested the support of the BIT to conduct an online experiment with 4,000 adults residing in France. The objective: to better understand Internet users’ data sharing preferences, to assess the impact of cookie banner design on Internet users’ choices, including the impact of dark patterns (so-called harmful design) and bright patterns (design which, conversely, encourages Internet users to think).
The results confirm the existence of a paradox where the majority (93%) of Internet users consider the protection of their privacy as a priority, but only a minority pays attention to the way cookies collect their data. Initial results that suggest that current cookie banners do not allow them to make an informed choice, respecting their preferences.
The results demonstrate the considerable impact of banner design, whether negative or positive, on choice. Banners that make rejection more complicated (because they are less visible or require more clicks to do so) push many more Internet users to accept. Banners that highlight the option to reject cookies or even emphasize that acceptance results in data tracking, significantly reduce the acceptance rate.
These results suggest that more attention should be paid to regulating cookie banners as, when used wisely, the design can encourage participants to make a choice that is closer to their data sharing preferences.
Research Advisor
Director, BIT France