VALLETTA — In a move widely described as “thorough” and “a bit much,” a popular Maltese news website this morning started asking visitors to grant 14 separate permissions before displaying even a single headline.
The consent dialog lists options including ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization, analytics_storage, functionality_storage, personalization_storage and security_storage. Users must toggle each one individually while a polite animated spinner tells them the article is “loading.”
Nation divided between ‘Grant All’ and ‘I’ll Read It Later’
For many Maltese the experience has become a new national ritual. At a café near Republic Street, Tumas, 28, scrolled through the checkboxes with the same focus he gives a plate of pastizzi.
”I pressed ‘grant’ because if I don’t I’ll spend more time configuring the website than actually reading about the festa fireworks,”
Others took pride in their defiance. Karmenu, 62, insisted he would not be bullied by a pop-up. “Mela, I won’t tell the internet about my hobż biż-żejt preferences,” he said, using the Maltese word for bread as a stand-in for dignity. He left the site and walked to the kiosk instead.
Inside the newsroom the technology team defended the change as “best practice” and “very modern.” An internal memo obtained by Times of Mela recommends asking permission for things readers never knew they had, such as “ability to remember your feelings about headlines” and “permission to suggest related páġni.”
Local privacy advocates called the setup “consent theatre,” noting most people click “Grant All” out of habit, confusion, or the belief that refusing will break their internet connection. A small but vocal minority created a spreadsheet to track which sites request the permission to track whether you blink while reading.
Advertisers reportedly applauded. One ad exec said, “Now we can finally know whether someone likes cats, dogs, or only looks at photos of Gozo ferries. This is vital data for targeted banners.”
At press time, the consent dialog asked for permission to ask for permission; an elderly reader granted it out of kindness.