Why are websites all of a sudden asking permission to set cookies?
August 16, 2015 1:12 PM Subscribe
Recently I am noticing websites that I have visited for years just now throwing up a pop-up asking for my acceptance of their cookie. Is there some change in the law or something else going on? Why now and why so many websites? These are not new sites and I have not recently cleaned out my cookies etc. It makes me curious.
there was the cookie law, but that was 4 years ago (actually, 3 - it seems it came into effect in 2012).
posted by andrewcooke at 1:16 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 1:16 PM on August 16, 2015
Websites this side of the pond have been increasingly doing that since the law came in. Maybe you've just started noticing it? But I think it's pretty likely that lots of websites just ignored the law, until they got a cookie notice for free with their next site redesign, and there's a lot of redesigning going on right now with Google's push for mobile friendliness.
posted by emilyw at 1:38 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by emilyw at 1:38 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
I think there was a ruling recently in the EU that you can't just show a banner saying your site has cookies, but has to get affirmative consent. So you'll see the notice again with a yes/no button.
posted by TheAdamist at 1:49 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by TheAdamist at 1:49 PM on August 16, 2015
there was the cookie law, but that was 4 years ago (actually, 3 - it seems it came into effect in 2012).
Yep, that's it. It may have been in effect for a couple of years by now but adherence to it has been spotty (I certainly don't) and enforcement minimal. What has happened however recently is that several big internet companies have started paying more attention to it, the most noticable one being Google, who has been remarkably incompetent about it.
Visit any Blogger based blog frex and every time you switch pages you're asked for permission, which gets old fast.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:07 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yep, that's it. It may have been in effect for a couple of years by now but adherence to it has been spotty (I certainly don't) and enforcement minimal. What has happened however recently is that several big internet companies have started paying more attention to it, the most noticable one being Google, who has been remarkably incompetent about it.
Visit any Blogger based blog frex and every time you switch pages you're asked for permission, which gets old fast.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:07 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's the EU Cookie Directive. (That's a link to a site trying to sell visitors a compliance audit but the explanation is good enough.)
posted by DarlingBri at 3:28 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 3:28 PM on August 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've noticed this a lot lately and only on UK websites, so the EU cookie directive makes sense. Thanks for asking!
(does anyone else want cookies when reading that? I would like to be directed to eat cookies...)
posted by kitten magic at 4:08 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
(does anyone else want cookies when reading that? I would like to be directed to eat cookies...)
posted by kitten magic at 4:08 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
If I recall correctly from a couple of years ago when I had to care about this stuff, there was a deadline for compliance to the EU Cookie laws in mid 2015 or first of 2016.
posted by jferg at 4:54 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by jferg at 4:54 PM on August 16, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Chitownfats at 1:15 PM on August 16, 2015 [6 favorites]