Over the past few months you’ll have noticed many websites asking your permission to drop cookies on your computer while you’ve been surfing the web. This was as a result of the UK Information Commissioner interpreting an EU directive on the matter. It was decreed that web users were required to offer explicit consent when receiving cookies.
As of now though, the Information Commissioner has rescinded that guidance and now will consider that web users offer “implied consent” when they use the web. It’s a good decision, but what a palava. How much time and money has been wasted by business owners and public bodies (such as the government, local councils and the BBC.) to adapt to the guidance which has since been reversed?
It was a ludicrous notion at best when it was required that net users had to offer consent. The rules only applied to EU organisations, so US firms and sites never had to comply. And cookies, whilst sometimes used maliciously enable lots of very useful web functions. The nub of this nonsense rule was the fact that those who do use cookies for nefarious purposes would hardly be those who would ask permission. Would they?
3 Responses
When it comes to EU directives words fail me!
A dull post, and inaccurate information – nothing better to do on a Tuesday I guess.
The EU Cookie Law has always been dead to me !