A multi-sector evaluation of cookie consent usability and privacy compliance in Saudi Arabia

With growing global concern over data privacy, cookie consent interfaces have become essential tools for informing users and obtaining their consent for data collection practices. While privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and others have pushed websites to offer more transparent and controllable cookie settings, the usability and effectiveness of these interfaces vary widely. This study investigates the current state of cookie consent interfaces on 144 high-traffic websites accessed in Saudi Arabia in different sectors, including government, commerce, finance, healthcare, and education. Using a set of 13 privacy and design guidelines derived from international standards, we conducted a two-phase evaluation in December 2024 and February 2025 to assess current compliance and changes over time. Our findings showed widespread non-compliance with both privacy and design standards. This widespread highlights gaps such as a lack of user control (only 10.42% allowed revisiting preferences), poor interface accessibility, and misleading consent mechanisms such as implied consent and single-option banners. This research contributes to current knowledge by providing rich insights that enhance the understanding of cookie consent usability in the Saudi context and provide data-driven recommendations for improving privacy interface design and regulatory enforcement.