Yahoo Group has rolled out new privacy and cookie management options across its websites and applications, giving users greater control over how Yahoo and its partners handle personal data and information stored on their devices. The changes apply to every service operated by the Yahoo Group of companies.
Under the revised system, users can choose how cookies and similar technologies are used, including web storage, which can store or access information on a user’s device. Yahoo now lets users reject all cookies and additional data-processing purposes with a single click, or customize their choices through the “Manage privacy settings” option.
Consent is not permanent. Users can withdraw it or adjust their preferences at any time through the “Privacy and cookie settings” or “Privacy panel” links available on Yahoo’s platforms. The company’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy provide further details on how it handles personal data.
In the European Union, cookie rules are not set by the GDPR alone. Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive generally governs storing information on, or accessing information from, a user’s device; the GDPR applies when personal data is processed and sets standards for valid consent. Technologies strictly necessary to provide a service requested by the user may be treated differently from non-impressive tracking, which generally requires an affirmative opt-in. Consent for one purpose also does not automatically authorize separate advertising or profiling activities.
Under the GDPR, consent must meet four standards: it has to be freely given and specific, with the user informed and making an unambiguous choice through a statement or clear affirmative action. Silence, inactivity and pre-ticked boxes do not meet that standard. A clearly available way to refuse matters: users should not have to take more steps to reject tracking than to accept it. Yahoo’s one-click rejection and preference controls reflect these principles.
The European Commission has proposed changes that would reorganize parts of the EU’s cookie and data-protection structure, including proposed GDPR Articles 88a and 88b. The proposal would retain consent as the default while specifying limited potential exemptions, including transmitting communications and providing a service explicitly requested by a user, as well as first-party audience measurement and device security. It also envisages one-click refusal and a restriction on asking again about the same refused purpose for at least six months. These measures are part of a legislative proposal, not rules that have already replaced the existing GDPR and ePrivacy requirements.
EU member states’ negotiating position differs from the Commission’s proposed browser-signal approach. The Council position would keep cookie provisions in the ePrivacy Directive while clarifying additional situations in which consent would not be required, including service provision and audience measurement, with a separate exemption for device security. The proposed exemptions would not remove consent requirements for commercial tracking or behavioral advertising outside those limited purposes. Yahoo’s controls align with the broader policy direction toward simpler refusal and preference management, while the EU proposals remain subject to the legislative process.
Cookies are widely used across digital services to remember preferences and support functionality, while also enabling advertising. Yahoo’s updated controls give users a direct way to make and revise choices about cookie use, against a regulatory backdrop that distinguishes necessary technologies from non-impressive tracking and requires valid, purpose-specific consent.
