The European Union has a new law that will come into force in 2011. This requires the end user, or you, to agree each time the cookie is placed on the machine.
A Cookie law is a small text document that tells a website what you last visited, what you did there, and possibly other information such as previously visited pages.
Sometimes used for money-making purposes, it’s often a tracking issue to allow a website to view different material as a first-time user and a daily user there.
Most websites today use some form of cookie. Will this new law hurt computer users?
Imagine you sit down and do a search. The list you click will immediately show a large pop-up disclaimer that you will not be able to view the site unless you agree to the cookie.
You counterattacked without knowing what this meant. Then the next site does the same and runs the next site.
Ultimately, this reminds people of Windows Vista, which displays an admin popup every time they install something.
Most people who are unaware of cookies and the law will be a little afraid to accept cookies because they do not know if they are malicious like viruses or spyware.
What is a better way to do this?
A better way is to tell Internet users what cookies are, how to turn them off, or how to block them completely in your browser.
Currently, many browsers have a privacy mode, cookies are not added to the machine and browser history is not saved.
This allows the user to choose whether or not to accept cookies. You don’t have to display these annoying all-page disclaimers if your end users accept cookies or can’t access your site.
On May 26, 2011, a law was introduced that directly affects how websites use cookies and similar technologies that store information on users’ devices.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has given companies a year to comply with compliance, but as the law’s first anniversary and compliance deadline approach, there still seems to be a lot of confusion.
This confusion is due to the fact that while the law is passed, no actual guidance or solution is provided on how companies comply, but simply put, cookies are required for websites to be 100% compliant.
If you are using, ask for your consent before installing them on your machine.
Many argue that this is a ridiculous law that cannot be enforced by making 90% of all websites virtually illegal.
Also, generally speaking, cookies are actually positive and can help speed up and improve the online user experience.
However, many of us may disagree with this approach, but it is important to understand that the purpose of the law is to protect user privacy online, which is of course positive.
But undoubtedly, this could have been done much easier and cheaper by educating users and clarifying browser features that disable cookies.
So what is a cookie?
Cookies are small files that are downloaded to your device when a user visits a particular website.
The cookie is then sent back to the original website for each subsequent visit. Cookies are useful for allowing websites to recognize your device.
An example of the active use of cookies is an e-commerce site.
If you add something to your online basket and don’t complete your purchase, the item is often still in your basket the next time you return it.
Also, tools such as Google Analytics use cookies. This allows website owners to monitor traffic throughout the website.
You can use this data to improve the user experience and ensure that you provide relevant content.
