The Hidden Crisis of Consent Fatigue
NOTE: This blog has been drafted based on the LinkedIn Live with FLLR Consulting and OneTrust - https://www.linkedin.com/events/7298058798093475841/
Remember that moment when you just wanted to read a simple recipe online but first had to navigate through a labyrinth of cookie consent pop-ups? Or when you tried to quickly check the weather but were greeted by a wall of text about data processing? Welcome to the world of consent fatigue – that collective groan we all experience when faced with yet another privacy banner.
While it might seem like just another tech buzzword, consent fatigue represents a growing crisis at the intersection of privacy regulations, business needs, and user experience. Think of it as the digital equivalent of signing stacks of paperwork without reading them – except this time, it's your personal data on the line.
According to recent studies, the average internet user encounters nearly 5,000 consent requests annually. That's more than a dozen per day, each one demanding our attention. No wonder we're exhausted, and no wonder most of us click "accept all" just to make the pop-ups disappear.
The Rise of the Endless Banners: How We Got Here
In 2018, while most of us were just trying to figure out what "GDPR" stood for, businesses around the world were scrambling to implement complex consent mechanisms. The European regulation set off a cascade of privacy laws globally, each introducing their own flavor of consent requirements.
"GDPR was considered the golden standard by a lot of different governing bodies," explained a privacy expert during a recent industry panel. "And when GDPR came along in the ad tech space, consent became a big thing."
California followed with the CCPA in 2020, introducing an American twist – an opt-out model rather than GDPR's opt-in approach. Fast forward to 2025, and we now have over 19 different U.S. states with their own privacy regulations.
For businesses operating across multiple regions, this created a perfect storm – implement separate consent mechanisms for each jurisdiction or risk non-compliance. The result? A digital landscape cluttered with increasingly complex consent banners that most users simply click through without reading – defeating the very purpose of informed consent.
From Transparency to Torment: The Cost of Complexity
While you see a simple "Accept All" button, behind that button lies an intricate system of data signals, consent strings, and preference mapping that would make even seasoned engineers wince. That single click triggers a cascade of technical processes. Your preference is encoded into a string – essentially a machine-readable representation of your choices – that gets transmitted to dozens or even hundreds of companies in the advertising ecosystem.
"If you've ever been to a publisher's page who has an IAB banner, they'd have 15 different options in there for specialized consent, for legitimate interest and whatnot," explains Arshdeep Sood, Senior Strategic Solutions Engineer at OneTrust. "So there's a lot of complexity in terms of what regulations want, and that needs to be translated to what technology can produce."
Consider the TCF (Transparency and Consent Framework) banners used in Europe – with sometimes 15 different options for specialized consent. Most users encounter these complex interfaces and simply look for the quickest escape route – often the "Accept All" button – rather than making meaningful choices.
This isn't just a problem for users. For businesses, maintaining these complex consent mechanisms across devices, platforms, and jurisdictions creates enormous technical debt. Every new privacy regulation means updating consent interfaces, retraining staff, and potentially reworking entire data governance frameworks.
The complexity compounds when you consider that preferences aren't just collected on websites. They come from mobile apps, smart devices, in-store interactions, call centers, and more. Each of these "collection points" generates consent data that needs to be consistently managed, stored, and honored across an organization's entire technology stack.
The Global Response: Standardization Efforts
Recognizing this unsustainable situation, industry groups like the IAB Tech Lab have been working to create standardized approaches to consent. Their Global Privacy Protocol (GPP, formerly known as the Global Privacy Platform) aims to create a single, unified system for consent signals across the digital ecosystem.
The journey toward standardization began with separate frameworks for different regions – the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) for Europe, and the US Privacy string for California. In 2022, the IAB Tech Lab introduced the Global Privacy Platform – a unified framework designed to accommodate any privacy regulation, present or future.
"In 2022 we had the GPP come into force," notes Arshdeep. "This was more of a merger of the TCF string, the US National privacy string, and any additional frameworks to really make it one protocol, where anybody who wants to onboard today or into the future can just decode that same string and know exactly what the end user wants."
The latest evolution, GPP version 2, expands this unified approach to include 14 new US states and provides enhanced support for specific consent scenarios like sensitive data processing and managing consent for minors.
While the GPP addresses the technical aspects of consent signals, the Multi-State Privacy Agreement (MSPA) represents an effort to simplify the legal landscape. This industry framework helps organizations navigate the complex U.S. privacy landscape without needing separate agreements with each vendor, publisher, or advertising partner.
As Moacir Klapouch, Privacy Consulting Manager at FLLR Consulting puts it, "Companies are trying to consolidate that project with one single signal... And when you are able to achieve all of that, you have one single streamlined workflow for Profile Management. And that provides you a boost on data quality."
These standardization efforts don't just reduce operational complexity – they directly impact the user experience by enabling more consistent, streamlined consent interfaces.
Beyond Compliance: Finding the Balance
The evolution of consent practices mirrors the transformation of privacy management itself. Early privacy professionals armed with spreadsheets and manual processes have given way to sophisticated privacy programs powered by Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) – specialized software designed to handle the complexities of modern consent collection.
But technology alone won't solve the consent fatigue crisis. The most forward-thinking organizations are rethinking their entire approach to data and consent, moving beyond mere compliance to create meaningful exchanges of value with their users.
"You have an opportunity to reduce consent fatigue by investing in your first-party data strategies," suggests Moacir Klapouch, Privacy Consulting Manager. "Maybe you have a paywall or sign up. You have a freemium or premium experience."
This strategic evolution encompasses several key approaches:
First-Party Data Strategy: Building direct, value-based relationships with users rather than relying on third-party tracking.
Preference Consolidation: Creating unified user profiles that maintain consistent preferences across all touchpoints.
Contextual Personalization: Delivering relevant content based on the current context rather than extensive tracking history.
Trust-Based Engagement: Focusing on building user trust through transparency and genuine value exchange.
These approaches represent a fundamental shift in how organizations think about data collection – moving from maximum extraction to optimum value exchange.
As Dan Harms, Managing Partner at FLLR Consulting explains, "Consumers want personalization, and they're hyper-aware about their privacy at this moment... they are going around with a lot of data that they're ready to exchange for personalization, but they need to know that you're a brand that they can trust that data with."
Moving Forward: Making Consent Meaningful
As we navigate this complex landscape, one thing becomes clear: consent shouldn't be a checkbox exercise. It represents a fundamental agreement between businesses and consumers about how data is used to create value for both parties.
The organizations that will thrive in this new privacy landscape are those that view consent not as a compliance burden but as an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to user autonomy and build lasting relationships based on trust.
This perspective shifts consent from a legal requirement to a strategic asset – something that enables rather than restricts business operations. When done right, consent collection becomes a touchpoint that enhances the customer relationship rather than disrupting it.
Implementing this strategic view of consent requires thoughtful design that balances legal requirements with human psychology.
This means creating consent experiences that are:
Clear and concise rather than overwhelming
Consistent across channels rather than fragmented
Value-focused rather than compliance-driven
User-centric rather than legal-centric
"Companies need to be concerned with trying to move away from consent fatigue," says Dan. "They want to be able to provide a streamlined consent experience."
Investing in thoughtful consent mechanisms isn't just about avoiding regulatory penalties – it delivers tangible business benefits through improved data quality, higher conversion rates, enhanced brand perception, and more effective personalization.
At FLLR Consulting, we understand that managing consent fatigue requires more than just technical solutions. It demands a strategic approach that balances regulatory requirements, business objectives, and user experience.
Our team specializes in:
Designing streamlined consent experiences that reduce friction
Implementing unified consent management across touchpoints
Developing first-party data strategies that enhance user trust
Optimizing consent technologies for operational efficiency
Navigating complex regulatory environments like GPP and MSPA
As you work to address consent fatigue in your organization, remember that building meaningful consent practices is an ongoing journey, not a destination. And like any journey, having the right guide can make all the difference.
Ready to transform your approach to consent management? Contact FLLR Consulting today to discuss how we can help you build consent experiences that work for your business and your users.