Hello, Has anyone read the ICC UK Cookie boocklet? From here http://www.international-chamber.co.uk/blog/2012/04/02/launch-of-icc-uk-cookie-guide/ What a load of hash! Effectively if you have any doubts about the cookies that your site uses, then it shoulb be rated as a Cat. 4 cookie and you have to ask and get permission. If you use Google Analytics look out, read it the booklet and then read googles T's and C's and you just might figure out, that, guess what, you are going to have to ask every users, before they get on your landing page, if they are ok with it. Worst thing is, if your in the UK, you are going to have to follow it, if your in Europe, then, it isn't going to matter so much.
I'm in the UK and don't see any issue with this. All seems pretty sensible and benign. As for Google, what did you expect? That's what Google and other third-party cookies do. I think they are far too intrusive....and I'm aware of their functionality. The average internet user wont have a clue about how their personal information, web usage, and personal preferences are being tracked by third party cookies. Cookies that they are completely unaware of and certainly haven't given them authority to sell on their personal information that they didn't know was being gathered in the first place. At least when it comes to things like credit cards or other consumer-based information, you have a right to ask for and receive all the data the company holds on you and who they share this information with. In many cases you also have a right to correct mistakes or errors and have your correction entered on the record. These online 3rd party cookies are not so transparent - who is the company? where is the information shared? who is it shared with? does UK data protection laws apply? What about companies it is sold to - do they comply? Does data leave the UK? How can you correct errors in their data? What are they collecting? Can you get a copy of it? Do they have YOUR permission to share YOUR personal data - that's the crux of what this seems to be about. Data Protection Laws in the UK are strict, and these 3rd party cookies are riding rough-shod over these laws. Most companies managing these are outwith UK legislation (which should be even more worrying) so they're putting the onus on the web site owner to comply as they will be easier to find and prosecute. It eas the web site owners decision to allow these 3rd party cookie systems onto their web site in the first instance, so they would be complicit. I see nothing wrong with this level of unasked for intrusion and data mining being put on a legislative or permission-only basis. If I had any worries it would be that these things are generally drafted by parties who don't understand the technology and the end result is rarely what was expected and/or doesn't have the desired effect. Plus, when it comes to Terms, what web user actually reads them anyway? Most people are just going to click "OK" so they can get on with visiting the site so it will all end up being a damp squib anyway.
Sadly, the UK Laws are, as per standard, over the top and you can bet the UK will have people complaining that they think they have been on a website that uses cookies that are going to harm them. (I live in the UK this country is insain for following European law for which every other Eoropean country doesn't really bother with) Google analytics cookie T & Cs are mind numbing, and I did try to get through them, but as far as I can figure they will need to be listed as a Catagory 4, thus you need to, as far as I can understand the reading of the ICC UK Cookie guide, and I quote "This means that website operators and third parties must work together to ensure that the first party has complete information about the cookies used on that site and expressly agree the way in which consent to third-party cookies will be obtained from users and communicated to all parties." ICC UK Law suggest that you get consent, and then communicate that consent to all parties involved. So in other words you need to inform google that each user who uses you site has actually consented to the use of the google analytics cookie. Unless someone else can see a way of suggesting that google analytics cookies are Catagory 1 or 2, and thus do not require any form of consent.
be careful, ive read bits and pieces on this issue, and ive heard that even if your NOT in the UK but if your server, and or part of your site is hosted in the UK then you may be expected to follow the rules-> this is not necessarily accurate. Personally i that that if people from the uk cant handle a cookie or two then they shouldnt be going online.
I think that'll be true to be honest. It's the same with other things, like if you own a server in the US, then you abide by their rules. Which is probably why people that run "Face of Death" type of sites use servers based in countries with no laws. As for this matter, I've just wrote out a page on one of my websites, which explains what cookies the site sets (including tracking ones from Google) along with a mixture of ranting, raving and an enormous amount of swearing. My visitors all understand.
Guys. I've set up an epetition on the government's website. Perhaps you'd consider signing it, and then consider getting your friends/family/online colleagues to sign it too http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33759
I've spent the last few weeks having to add popups to clients websites to inform people about cookies. I think it would be better if there was a way around this from the browser. Firefox has an option you can select that sends a header to websites asking to not be tracked. If this option was made more prominent in browsers it would be a lot better than every website implementing different ways of asking for permission. When a website receives this header it could then not set privacy cookies, or then add the popup asking for permission.
Slightly off-topic but still relevant. As part of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), all UK websites need to be accessible by 'blind and disabled users'. This law has been in effect since 1999 but was actually published in 2002. Source: webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-accessibility/uk-website-legal-requirements.shtml Over 10 years have passed and this law (for better accessibility) hasn't become mainstream. I don't believe this new cookie law will take the net by storm either. I've only seen one implementation of it so far.