Someone want a cookie?
Alas no, I’m not talking about the chocolate-chip variety, but instead the little bytes of memory that are stored on your computer by websites. Like how your computer remembers login details, or how adverts for ‘black shoes’ appear in a web page side- bar after you’ve just been doing a spot of retail therapy in the Kurt Geiger e-store.
But earlier this year in May, a new EU legislation came in to prevent these cookies from being stored without the consent of the user. As a measure to protect the privacy of the web-user, it is now down to the website provider to ensure that their visitors ‘opt in’ to receiving cookies, and that they are not forced on them.
If you have a self hosted WordPress blog, then you’re using cookies – lots of your plugins will be using them and your readers need to opt in.
So, if you don’t fancy breaking the law, then install the new EU Cookie Law WP plugin for just a tenner (for a single use site; £25 for multi-use). It only takes a minute, and basically just installs a lightbox pop-up that asks whether or not the user is happy for the website to install the website’s usual cookies. As well stopping website owners from breaking the law and receiving a hefty fine, it also shows the user that you abide by the law and appreciate their right to online privacy.
It’s a pretty cool plugin, and you can change the wording on it and the way it looks (I’m playing with mine right now!)
Although we don’t know the future of the United Kingdom’s position within the EU, and therefore how long this consent will be enforced, but for now, that’s the way the cookie crumbles…
Get your cookie plugin and find out more about this law now.
About Nikki
Thanks for bringing that to our attention Nikki – very helpful indeed.
I love chocolate cookies but not for my computer…lol
@LauLau81 I know the feeling, but as it’s the law I have to comply
@SuzeStMaurWrites Thanks Suze
The issue that I have with the cookie law is the number of “Probably” words in the guidelines.
If a company is using analytics, they mention that they “probably” wont come after you. Does that mean that they will or wont?
I have a a guest post from a law firm in Swindon on my blog, which shows that even lawyers cannot actually say which way things are going to go (http://www.hodgesnet.co.uk/website-design/you-may-have-an-illegal-website-cookie-law/)
Word from the political arena from my conservative connections is that they are fighting for browser based cookie permissions to be set and rolled out so that individual sites do not have to do anything other than display a message to say “This site uses cookies – click here to allow” or something similar.
It is all going to flair up when the first big business goes for it.
BT.com have an interesting pop up that disappears before you have a chance to read it… is this ‘Implied consent’?
We’ll have to wait and see what happens.