Every cookie banner you dismiss consumes as much energy as leaving a lightbulb on for 10 seconds. Multiply that by billions of daily interactions, and digital surveillance infrastructure now consumes energy equivalent to a small country—with 70-90% of that consumption completely unnecessary.
European regulators face a choice that will determine whether we eliminate this waste or preserve it for another decade. The EU Omnibus package promises to simplify compliance burdens by streamlining existing privacy regulations. But this choice between incremental adjustment and architectural transformation will determine whether we reduce digital infrastructure's environmental impact by 70-90% or preserve the unsustainable surveillance economy.
Two approaches compete:
EU Omnibus: Maintains surveillance capitalism's architecture while reducing reporting burdens. Extends CSRD and CSDDD transition timelines, weakens enforcement mechanisms, preserves User-ID tracking infrastructure.
ISO/IEC 27560-1 Universal Notice Receipt Profile (implemented with W3C Data Privacy Vocabulary): Inverts the architecture entirely. Controller identification precedes individual identification. Disclosure scope becomes transparent before data collection begins. Notice receipts replace cookie banners.
The environmental consequences of this choice are staggering—but deliberately hidden from view.
Every cookie banner you dismiss triggers invisible environmental damage:
Real-Time Bidding Infrastructure:
Cookie Syncing Systems:
Identity Resolution Services: