The Cookie Monster

Through bad planning of a difficult to implement scheme the ICO has managed to become the internet bad guy  in the last few days.

Last year, the new cookie law was due to be implemented on the 26th May 2011.  The idea behind the law is that any website based in the EU or serving the EU, must give the visitor the chance to opt out of small files (the cookie) being placed on their machine.  These cookies are used for all kinds of things, reducing the logins required, tracking how often a visitor visits and what they might look at, that sort of thing. However a few hours before May 26th 2011, the ICO said we had another year in which to comply with the ruling.

Cookies can track you much further than from the site that issued the file.  Facebook, google and many other big web names use them to track your journey and serve adverts on ‘partner websites’.

This year, once more hours before the dawn of the new law, the ICO have reissued advice on the cookie law.  Rather than get express permission for the use of cookies, permission can now be implied.

Implied consent is certainly a valid form of consent but those who seek to rely on it should not see it as an easy way out or use the term as a euphemism for “doing nothing”.

Some websites have decided to give visitors a pop up, an opportunity to opt-out (David Hopkins who I follow of twitter for example).  Some sites are informing visitors through their privacy section or policy (like the BBC). Some sites have so far done nothing at all.

I’m taking a view similar to the BBC.  I added some notes in my footer on Sunday (24 hours late, I know) to explain how this site uses cookies, and how you can avoid them if you would like to.

EU law states that I must inform you that this site may store a small ‘cookie’ file on your device. This should only happen if you comment on a post or join this site. If you do not agree, please do not comment or join, but feel free to read 🙂

As users we’ve always had the opportunity to opt-out of cookies.  Browsers have an option to allow cookies, to ask, or to deny.  So if cookies and what they contain do worry you,  I think it is probably best you head for your browser, rather than rely on individual companies and web masters because it seems they are not really sure what to do!