In case you were about to get excited, the cookie directive is about internet cookies, not anything you can put in your mouth. It's part of the wave of governments feeling that 'something must be done' about the internet. It's unclear exactly what these legislators would like the internet to be exactly, but the idea of gnawing away at the aspects that make up this free information network seems to have gained a lot of momentum. The US got far enough to have a bill put together which would have stripped away much of the freedom that the creative aspects of the internet enjoy.
Cookies are now in the firing line. You may know these as the thing your browser or virus scan blocks. They're the trackers of the internet, amassing swathes of data on the sites people visit and the things they search for. This information can be very valuable to companies, as it allows them to see if their marketing is working, and what people are buying, and it can help them target you with advertising too. It also helps you access information more easily, such as allowing you in to your email without a password, or remembering items you want to buy.
From the 26th of May 2012, this will not be the case. Any website that intends to pass your browsing information to a third party will have to ask you if you'd like that, and then you'll need to 'opt-in' to accept the terms. Of course there are already lots of terms we agree to without really reading them when it comes to computers, but at least this legislation should make people aware of the extent by which they're being watched, and being targeted by companies.
If it is enforced this could be really bad news for European businesses that depend upon web trade. The US will potentially dominate the field even more, while users' habits go effectively dark for EU commerce. This is because of the simple fact that people won't opt in for cookies in the same way as they didn't opt out of cookies by getting a cookie blocker installed in the first place: they don't care either way.
The thought of cookies might seem unsettling, but perhaps only because it gives us a glimpse of the vast, inconceivably complex nature of the real workings of the web. It makes you wonder what they'll crack down on next.
Cookies are now in the firing line. You may know these as the thing your browser or virus scan blocks. They're the trackers of the internet, amassing swathes of data on the sites people visit and the things they search for. This information can be very valuable to companies, as it allows them to see if their marketing is working, and what people are buying, and it can help them target you with advertising too. It also helps you access information more easily, such as allowing you in to your email without a password, or remembering items you want to buy.
From the 26th of May 2012, this will not be the case. Any website that intends to pass your browsing information to a third party will have to ask you if you'd like that, and then you'll need to 'opt-in' to accept the terms. Of course there are already lots of terms we agree to without really reading them when it comes to computers, but at least this legislation should make people aware of the extent by which they're being watched, and being targeted by companies.
If it is enforced this could be really bad news for European businesses that depend upon web trade. The US will potentially dominate the field even more, while users' habits go effectively dark for EU commerce. This is because of the simple fact that people won't opt in for cookies in the same way as they didn't opt out of cookies by getting a cookie blocker installed in the first place: they don't care either way.
The thought of cookies might seem unsettling, but perhaps only because it gives us a glimpse of the vast, inconceivably complex nature of the real workings of the web. It makes you wonder what they'll crack down on next.
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