On the Effectiveness of Overt and Covert Interventions in Influencing Cookie Consent: Field Experimental Evidence

Cookie consent notices (CCNs) became ubiquitous on websites ever since authorities, including the EU, adopted comprehensive privacy regulations. Empirical studies have demonstrated that, with decreasing permission to use consumer data, website operators increasingly choose CCN design architectures that nudge users unwittingly into giving extensive consent. We investigate in a field experiment a viable alternative to these practices that induces a more deliberate user choice. Employing the theoretical lens of Dual Process Cognition Theory, we compare the effects of a covert nudge (System 1 intervention) on consent decisions to more overt incentives (System 2 intervention). Our field data from 613 participants reveal that CCNs using an overt monetary incentive increase a consent rate more than a covert digital nudge. Beyond that, combined interventions yielded strongest effects. The results underscore that pricing cookie placement might lead to more satisfying outcomes for firms, users and regulators than a sole right to deny tracking