When accessing websites, users are often required to grant various permissions, typically by choosing between an Agree button and a Reject button. However, clicking Reject may prevent proper website functionality, leaving users with little real choice. Most users have limited understanding of what they are consenting to when accepting cookies or permissions. Even when selecting Reject, there remains uncertainty about whether websites continue to collect personal information through alternative means or data leaks.

This project explores the encryption and protection of personal data, emphasizing both the existence and potential failure of these mechanisms. The process of encrypting personal data reflects how users’ information is theoretically protected. However, the reality often falls short due to technical limitations, unclear policies, or intentional data misuse. Despite growing awareness of these issues, many individuals, including those researching the topic, feel powerless to drive meaningful improvements, whether through technological innovation or policy reform.

The project seeks to visualize the experience of agreeing or rejecting website permissions by constructing a data world that reveals the hidden logic behind these interactions.

The final output is a short film combining live screen recordings, digital animation, and narrative-driven sequences. The film adopts a cinematic structure, emphasizing the unfolding timeline of events that occur after granting or denying permissions online. By dramatizing these processes, the project aims to provoke critical reflection on data privacy and user agency in the digital age.

I drew inspiration from the short film Flânerie 2.0 by Lého Galibert-Laîné (previously known as Chloé Galibert-Laîné), a French media researcher and filmmaker known for her video essays and short films exploring the intersection of media, film, and new media. Flânerie 2.0, inspired by Walter Benjamin’s philosophy, uses wandering as both theme and methodology, linking 1920s Parisian strolls with modern smartphone habits. This work reflects on the interaction between spatial experience and digital navigation, blending visual elements with contemporary urban exploration methods. Following this approach, I recorded the impacts of clicking the Accept All Cookies button and filmed real-life scenes such as using a campus card to access classrooms and school gates. These parallel sequences suggest a comparison between online permissions and permissions granted in the physical world.