Norwegian publisher faces complaint over choice between tracking and subscription fees

On Wednesday, the Norwegian Consumer Council and noyb filed a complaint against the Norwegian news publisher Schibsted for implementing the controversial “Pay or Okay” model across its products.

Pay or Okay describes a business model in which users are given two choices: either they pay a subscription fee to use an online service without personalized ads or tracking, or they consent to the collection and use of their personal data for targeted advertising and continue using the service for free.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen numerous online news outlets and businesses introduce a Pay or Okay system, including Der Standard, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel (Germany), Il Corriere (Italy), El País (Spain), and Le Monde (France). Meta switched to Pay or Okay for Facebook and Instagram in November 2023.

In March 2026, the Swedish subsidiary of the Norwegian media publisher Schibsted introduced Pay or Okay on all of its websites. Recently, it has launched the business model in Norway as well, where Schibsted is one of the largest news publishers.

The Norwegian Consumer Council and noyb feel that the news publisher’s introduction of the Pay or Okay model sets a dangerous precedent for free content across the Nordic states. European citizens’ fundamental right to data protection would become a luxury, the advocacy groups claim.

“We shouldn’t have to pay to protect ourselves from the commercial use of our own personal data. Privacy is a fundamental right, not a premium choice,” Mette Fossum, Director of the Norwegian Consumer Council, says in a statement.

In practice, consumers are forced to choose between accepting being tracked for personalized advertising or paying a hefty premium to reject it, noyb argues. The Austrian privacy organization previously calculated that refusing consent on the top 100 German websites would cost more than €1,500 per year.

“The use of Pay or Okay leads to a consent rate beyond 99%, even though only a small number of people want to be tracked online. In reality, Pay or Okay leads to nothing but a North Korean consent rate,” noyb Chairman Max Schrems explains.

To put a stop to Shibsted’s plans, the Norwegian Consumer Council and noyb have filed a joint complaint with the Norwegian data protection authority. They want the privacy regulator to declare the Pay or Okay model illegal, and issue an “effective, proportionate, and dissuasive” fine.

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