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EU Cookie Law


ironmax

Anonymous
Your gonna love this.

Apparently anyone that runs a web site over in Europe, the EU has adapted a new law that requires ALL European nations including the UK, to make adjustments to their web site software. The web site owners have to make it possible to allow the end user, that are surfin sites, in those affected countries, the ability to turn off cookie tracking. This means also that it is required that there MUST be a clickable button on each page that the web site tracks. See the CNET posting about it here.

Isn't this a can of worms to deal with?

I have developed a script to work with Geeklog and glFusion to notify users and place a message on all pages until the user accepts the conditions. You can see it in action at Spacequad Internet Services. If you want a free copy, register and/or login to download.

Michael
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Status: offline

Laugh

Site Admin
Admin
Registered: 09/27/05
Posts: 1468
Location:Canada
Thanks for creating the script IronMax.

Not sure why the UK is doing this since most websites use cookies (if not directly at least through ads).

I guess at some point this should be turned into a plugin to allow for multi language and maybe even the ability just to target UK IPs.

Tom
One of the Geeklog Core Developers.
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ironmax

Anonymous
Quote by: Laugh

Thanks for creating the script IronMax.

Not sure why the UK is doing this since most websites use cookies (if not directly at least through ads).

I guess at some point this should be turned into a plugin to allow for multi language and maybe even the ability just to target UK IPs.

Tom



Tom,

The problem is not just for the resident servers in the UK or Europe, it affects anyone doing business across the pond. Those wankers have no idea what kind of woopass they just released upon themselves, if they should try to enforce it, and they will eventually. Then who's gonna suffer...the little guy. So this is why I got something functional and out the door right away. I would like to do more, like turn it into a plugin, but I'm not there yet fully in the php area.

Michael
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Dirk

Site Admin
Admin
Registered: 01/12/02
Posts: 13073
Location:Stuttgart, Germany
The EU data protection officials have now published a document (PDF) clarifying the intentions of that law (which, btw, has not been turned into local law in all EU states yet, e.g. not in Germany).

It's a lot of legalese, but on a quick scan, it doesn't sound as dramatic as some thought it would. Basically, they seem to say that you need to ask for permission when setting
- social plug-in tracking cookies (Facebook's Like button comes to mind)
- third-party advertising cookies
- first party analytics cookies (Google Analytics is a hotly debated example)

"Normal" cookies, like those used for sessions, are exempt and can be used like before.

Now, I don't know about that UK law. It sounds to me like the UK went beyond the intentions of the EU law there. But for the rest of the EU, things sound pretty reasonable to me.

bye, Dirk
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suprsidr

Forum User
Full Member
Registered: 12/29/04
Posts: 555
Location:Champaign, Illinois
My favorite part is that you need to set a cookie to remember their choice when you ask them to accept that you want to use cookies.

AND

What about local storage/session storage, you can do the same thing there too without asking.

OR

You could track every user w/ something like GUS and then send the data off for analytics at the end of the day anyways.

Crazy... I chose not to care about the insane cookie law until it directly affects me.

-s
FlashYourWeb and Your Gallery with the E2 XML Media Player for Gallery2 - http://www.flashyourweb.com
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ironmax

Anonymous
Quote by: Dirk

The EU data protection officials have now published a document (PDF) clarifying the intentions of that law (which, btw, has not been turned into local law in all EU states yet, e.g. not in Germany).

It's a lot of legalese, but on a quick scan, it doesn't sound as dramatic as some thought it would. Basically, they seem to say that you need to ask for permission when setting
- social plug-in tracking cookies (Facebook's Like button comes to mind)
- third-party advertising cookies
- first party analytics cookies (Google Analytics is a hotly debated example)

"Normal" cookies, like those used for sessions, are exempt and can be used like before.

Now, I don't know about that UK law. It sounds to me like the UK went beyond the intentions of the EU law there. But for the rest of the EU, things sound pretty reasonable to me.

bye, Dirk



There is also a good discussion going on over at Spacequad in this issue. You can read the documents attached about the legislation that came down on this as well as revised editions and analysis of this that Dave posted.

Michael
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