Political websites place tracking cookies without consent
Research: political parties share personal data through illegal tracking cookies.
Published on October 6, 2026
Websites run by various Dutch political parties are placing tracking cookies without visitors’ consent, according to research by Vrij Nederland and the Internet Cleanup Foundation. As a result, personal data, potentially including information about political preferences, may end up with US tech companies such as Google and YouTube.
The Internet Cleanup Foundation monitors websites for privacy violations. According to the organisation, tracking cookies that collect or share personal data without valid consent violate the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Tracking cookies
Tracking cookies can collect information about visitors’ behaviour, such as which pages they view. This data can then be sent to external services for analytics, advertising or personalised content. On political websites, this could potentially provide insight into people’s political interests.
This makes the use of tracking technology particularly sensitive. Data revealing political opinions falls under the special categories of personal data and is therefore subject to additional protection under the GDPR. According to the Internet Cleanup Foundation, the cookies on the websites investigated are placed before visitors give their consent, which the organisation says violates privacy rules.
More than 40 websites
The researchers found tracking cookies on more than 40 websites that allegedly collect or share data without visitors’ consent. Of these, 28 are linked to the PVV, including pvvoverijssel.nl and stopdeeuropesezakkenvullers.nl. Similar cookies were also found on two local ChristenUnie sites, two FVD sites and two JA21 sites. According to the research, D66, De Nederlandse Alliantie, CDA, SGP and PRO each have one website on which visitor data is shared without consent.
Using the browser automation tool Playwright, the researchers analysed 6,168 URLs belonging to national political parties and affiliated organisations, including youth organisations and regional branches.
According to the Internet Cleanup Foundation, there are several ways to prevent tracking. Websites can, for example, place tracking behind a cookie wall or use alternatives to external services. This can help political websites keep visitor data out of the hands of external tracking services.