Does your website track visitors with cookies? Have you told them? If not, you could be facing a hefty £500,000 fine. It’s been a month since the new cookie consent law came into force, but it’s still leaving many scratching their heads in confusion.
Essentially the law makes it illegal to use cookies without asking your visitors’ permission. But it’s when you get into the nitty gritty of the guidelines that the question marks start appearing. A hastily defined allowance of ‘strictly necessary’ cookies, in particular, is causing a lot of headaches. So to keep you on the right side of the law, it’s worth giving you a quick rundown on what all the fuss is about and what you can do to be on the right side of the law.
What are cookies?
Cookies are simple text files that websites store on your local computer to provide a smoother experience. This can include innocent details about what’s in your shopping basket, your login information and preferences. However, what gets people annoyed is when details are stored on browsing history so that advertisers can target your interests. Whilst this makes business sense, many users don’t like the idea of advertisers being able to manipulate the user’s web experience in this way, hence the new law.
How can I check whether my website uses cookies?
If you use Google Analytics or your website features social bookmarking buttons or advertising, your website uses cookies. So the vast majority of websites uses cookies in some form. If you’d like to find out whether yours does, Cookieq.com provides a free cookie audit for up to 100 pages.
What should I do about it?
Essentially, your website needs to advise visitors whether you use cookies and explain how visitors can switch them off. Website owners are using a variety of methods to do this:
A pop-up – The Financial Times provides a popup with a tightly worded description on its new cookie policy and how to manage your cookies on the site.
In the header – Channel Four tells you at the top of the page that it uses cookies. You have the option to accept this and close the notification or you can click on a link to read about its privacy policy and then find out how you can control cookies in your browser.
A call out box or button – If your website is built with WordPress, Drupal7 or Magneto then you can use the Cookie Control plugin to create a small compliance form in the corner of your website. Another option is to create an eye catching button at Cookieq to put in your header or sidebar.
If this is the first time you’ve heard about the legislation, you’re not alone. But burying your head in the sand is never a good idea, and compliance can, in fact, be a marketing opportunity.
Demonstrating to visitors that you fulfil your legal obligations and take an ethical approach to business can only be a good thing, particularly when building trust is intrinsic to your website’s success at converting browsers into buyers.
Sources
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/9290868/Cookie-consent-laws-come-into-force.html
http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/10011-even-the-eu-can-t-comply-with-its-own-cookie-law
http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/9990-the-bbc-unveils-its-eu-cookie-law-solution
http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/cookies/about/?source_url=/privacy/bbc-cookies-policy.shtml
http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/britains-cookie-law-causes-confusion-lawbreaking/
http://cookieq.com/CookieQ/index
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/opinion/2012/05/25/top-tips-complying-cookie-law
http://www.computerweekly.com/guides/How-to-comply-with-the-EU-cookie-law
http://www.verticalleap.co.uk/blog/how-to-comply-with-the-eu-cookie-law/
http://www.cookielaw.org/cookie-compliance.aspx
http://www.civicuk.com/cookie-law/index
http://automattic.com/privacy/
