New ask Hacker News story: Proposal: Cookie Consent Should Be Browser-Native, Not Website-Native
Proposal: Cookie Consent Should Be Browser-Native, Not Website-Native
5 by zak-mandhro | 7 comments on Hacker News.
TL;DR: Cookie consent shouldn’t be a popup war on every website. Browsers should handle it natively — just like location or notifications — based on user-set privacy preferences. We can fix the web with one header, a little browser enforcement, and a lot less nonsense. The current system for cookie consent is a mess. Every website throws a popup in your face, asking you to accept tracking you neither want nor need. The irony? It’s not technically necessary. We can solve it at the browser level — cleanly, universally, and in a user-respecting way. Here’s how: 1. Browser-Level Privacy Preferences Browsers should allow users to set global consent preferences, just like setting a default language or search engine. Example: * Essential cookies: Always allow * Analytics cookies: Ask or Block * Marketing cookies: Ask or Block * Third-party cookies: Ask or Block Set once. Apply everywhere. No more popups. 2. New HTTP Header: Set-Cookie-Category Websites would categorize cookies when setting them, like: Set-Cookie: sessionId=abc123; Category=Essential Set-Cookie: trackUser=true; Category=Marketing Standardized categories: Essential, Analytics, Marketing, Personalization, Other. No trickery. No ambiguity. 3. Browser Enforcement When a site tries to set a cookie: * Browser checks the declared category. * Browser checks the user's privacy preferences. * If no consent: cookie is silently blocked. If consent is "Ask," the browser shows a small permission prompt (similar to location or notifications). No more hijacking the page UI. 1. Optional Website Messaging Websites could optionally trigger a browser-native dialog to explain their cookie use — but no walls of legalese blocking access. 2. Bonus: Easier Compliance Audits Browsers could expose APIs for compliance tools to automatically verify if a site respects consent preferences. Why hasn’t this happened yet? * Ad-tech companies make too much money off friction and dark patterns. * Browser vendors (especially Chrome) profit from the status quo. * Regulators targeted websites, not browsers, in GDPR/CCPA drafts. But it’s not too late. Safari, Firefox, Brave, Arc — even Chrome (if enough pressure builds) — could easily implement this. Users deserve better. The web deserves better. If you think this should be built, upvotes help visibility.
5 by zak-mandhro | 7 comments on Hacker News.
TL;DR: Cookie consent shouldn’t be a popup war on every website. Browsers should handle it natively — just like location or notifications — based on user-set privacy preferences. We can fix the web with one header, a little browser enforcement, and a lot less nonsense. The current system for cookie consent is a mess. Every website throws a popup in your face, asking you to accept tracking you neither want nor need. The irony? It’s not technically necessary. We can solve it at the browser level — cleanly, universally, and in a user-respecting way. Here’s how: 1. Browser-Level Privacy Preferences Browsers should allow users to set global consent preferences, just like setting a default language or search engine. Example: * Essential cookies: Always allow * Analytics cookies: Ask or Block * Marketing cookies: Ask or Block * Third-party cookies: Ask or Block Set once. Apply everywhere. No more popups. 2. New HTTP Header: Set-Cookie-Category Websites would categorize cookies when setting them, like: Set-Cookie: sessionId=abc123; Category=Essential Set-Cookie: trackUser=true; Category=Marketing Standardized categories: Essential, Analytics, Marketing, Personalization, Other. No trickery. No ambiguity. 3. Browser Enforcement When a site tries to set a cookie: * Browser checks the declared category. * Browser checks the user's privacy preferences. * If no consent: cookie is silently blocked. If consent is "Ask," the browser shows a small permission prompt (similar to location or notifications). No more hijacking the page UI. 1. Optional Website Messaging Websites could optionally trigger a browser-native dialog to explain their cookie use — but no walls of legalese blocking access. 2. Bonus: Easier Compliance Audits Browsers could expose APIs for compliance tools to automatically verify if a site respects consent preferences. Why hasn’t this happened yet? * Ad-tech companies make too much money off friction and dark patterns. * Browser vendors (especially Chrome) profit from the status quo. * Regulators targeted websites, not browsers, in GDPR/CCPA drafts. But it’s not too late. Safari, Firefox, Brave, Arc — even Chrome (if enough pressure builds) — could easily implement this. Users deserve better. The web deserves better. If you think this should be built, upvotes help visibility.
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