the cost of reading consent formats or privacy notices is still too high.

Third, the focus should be centered on improving transparency rather than requesting systematic consents. Lack of transparency and clarity doesn’t allow informed and unambiguous consent (in particular, where privacy policies are lengthy, complex, vague and difficult to navigate). This ambiguity creates a risk of invalidating the consent.

the authority found that each digital platform’s privacy policies, which include the consent format, were between 2,500 and 4,500 words and would take an average reader between 10 and 20 minutes to read.

Because humans hate being bored or confused and there are countless ways to make decisions look off-puttingly boring or complex — be it presenting reams of impenetrable legalese in tiny greyscale lettering so no-one will bother reading

"I have read and agree to the terms and conditions” may well be the most common lie in the history of civilization. How many times do you scroll and click accept without a second thought? You’re not alone. Not only they go unread, but they also include a self-updating clause requiring you to go back and review those documents for changes. You’re agreeing to any changes, and their consequences, indefinitely. 

And, frankly, we’re abetting this behavior. Most users just click or tap “okay” to clear the pop-up and get where they’re going. They rarely opt to learn more about what they’re agreeing to. Research shows that the vast majority of internet users don’t read terms of service or privacy policies — so they’re probably not reading cookie policies, either. They’re many pages long, and they’re not written in language that’s simple enough for the average person to understand.

But in the end, they’re not doing much: Most of us just tediously click “yes” and move on.

The site invites you to read its “cookie policy,” (which, let’s be honest, you’re not going to do), and it may tell you the tracking is to “enhance” your experience — even though it feels like it’s doing the opposite.