A case for (some) dickovers

2026-07-28T00:00:00Z

dickover n. : a modal panel, popover, or curtain presented by a website or app, deliberately obscuring its own content to frustrate the user with an unwanted, unnecessary, mandatory interaction; e.g. asking the user to accept “cookies”, subscribe to a newsletter, install the website’s mobile app, agree to terms of service, or anything else that the user couldn’t give two shits about.

You know it when you see it: a sign-up form, an interstitial ad, a GDPR consent banner. John invents a sharp word that I’m hereby ~~stealing~~ adopting into my idiolect. He poignantly describes the dirty tricks websites use to hit you in your head with stuff you didn’t order. Do yourself a favour and follow the link above.

And yet, I think, there’s a distinction there that John glosses over. I think there are two kinds of dickovers. They’re both frustrating but some dickovers are frustrating in a different way. A way I actually appreciate.

I’m talking about things like cookie banners and GDPR

Daniel Janus – shiternet

A case for (some) dickovers