More than one in three Belgians reject cookies on websites and do not want to pass on their data to third parties. The avoidance of online advertising is also increasing.

A CIM survey of 6,000 Belgians shows that we are increasingly concerned about our privacy. Three quarters (76%) defend themselves with at least one method of protection. That is 3.5 percent more than in the previous year. The most popular way is to refuse to share data (38%), followed by refusing cookies (36%) and changing internet browser settings (23%).

Online advertising is also under pressure. Almost two-thirds (62%) try to avoid it, three percent more than last year. A third (33%) reject cookies for this reason, an increase of five percent. Almost a quarter (24%) use an ad blocker to protect themselves. The report sees a slight decline here compared to 2022.

You can download the clear and fascinating CIM research here. The report also includes numbers on media device usage, social media, and streaming video and audio.

Earlier this month, the Belgian data protection authority reported that it had issued 389 complaints about digital privacy. The reason is that the workload is too high due to the extensive procedures.