2025-W06 UK ICO’S Pay or OK Framework – A Tight Balance or A Bad Compromise

22/05/2025 20 min

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Episode Synopsis

The Consent or Pay model is now a reality in the UK, and the ICO has set out a framework for how businesses can implement it while remaining GDPR-compliant.At first glance, the approach seems balanced: users get a choice, companies get flexibility, and privacy remains protected—at least in theory.But here’s the real question: Is privacy something that can be bought and sold like any other commodity? If so, shouldn’t the market set the price? And if not, doesn’t that make the very concept of “paying for privacy” fundamentally flawed?The ICO tries to walk a tightrope between these two positions, but does it succeed? Or are we left with a framework that tries to regulate an uncomfortable reality without fully confronting its implications?