EDPB requires Belgian DPA to handle the merits of NOYB cookie banner complaint
The European Data Protection Board has issued a binding decision requiring the Belgian Data Protection Authority to rule on the substance of a cookie banner complaint filed by NOYB against Flemish public broadcaster VRT. The dispute arose after the Belgian DPA, acting as lead supervisory authority, submitted a draft decision that did not address the merits of the case.
Why this matters: Cookie banners are the most visible privacy mechanism most people ever encounter, and they are routinely designed to wear you down until you click accept. NOYB has spent years pushing regulators to actually enforce the rules against this. The problem here is not just VRT. It is a supervisory authority trying to close a complaint without deciding whether the law was broken. The EDPB is now forcing that decision. If regulators can dodge the merits, enforcement becomes theater. This ruling says they cannot.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · AI governance · General readers · Policy
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