EU Cookie Law passed

mrmagos · 11-13-2009, 10:30 AM

I'm American, so it's doubtful that I will experience any impact from this passing. Mind you, it won't go into effect until April 26, 2011, but I haven't seen any chatter about this and I wanted to bring this to the attention of our friends across the pond. I first heard about it on Slashdot about a month ago.

Basically the new law states that users must give explicit consent before a cookie is placed on his/her computer. The Wall Street Journal paints a picture of users being "...bombarded with annoying pop-ups or pages asking for permission" whenever they visit a site. eConsultancy has some musing on how this could impact the affiliate industry.

I know this is a long way off, but I thought it would help to give you guys a big heads up.

Scott Ames · 11-13-2009, 10:46 AM

Seems to me we already have this notification. All a user needs to do is enable it on the browser. I would be upset if that were bypassed by legislation. It should be my choice.

(not that I'm affected. I just hope the US never gets this idea in their head)

seasoned · 11-13-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Ames

Seems to me we already have this notification. All a user needs to do is enable it on the browser. I would be upset if that were bypassed by legislation. It should be my choice.

(not that I'm affected. I just hope the US never gets this idea in their head)

The US HAS gotten the idea! I thought there was already legislation for it. Several companies ABANDONED plans to "aggregate" data. many more give details in TOS.

Of course, then there is google doing perhaps EVERYTHING!

Steve

MichaelHiles · 11-13-2009, 11:33 AM

Guess the goofy bastages don't understand how a session variable works to make almost every web app in existence function.

Their limited pea brained scope is that cookies are only used to track people's surfing on the internet.

Stupid politicians creating legislation about things they have no understanding of it's purpose or function.

Stupid citizens allowing it to happen.

Fernando Veloso · 11-13-2009, 11:37 AM

2011?

Hope I move to Tahiti before that. This law is freakin amusing. Just like the European Union.

Sean Kelly · 11-13-2009, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelHiles

Guess the goofy bastages don't understand how a session variable works to make almost every web app in existence function.

Their limited pea brained scope is that cookies are only used to track people's surfing on the internet.

Stupid politicians creating legislation about things they have no understanding of it's purpose or function.

I agree, however..

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelHiles

Stupid citizens allowing it to happen.

it was never in the news and we didn't get to vote on it and this is the first time I've even heard about it. Then again, we got to stop patents on software, however, there are stupid citizens in other countries that allowed that kind of thing to happen

Sean

SageSound · 11-13-2009, 03:50 PM

What a useless law! Browsers already allow this, and there are numerous 3rd-party tools to make it easier to deal with, like blocking all cookies from, say, doubleclick.com.

The funny part is that people might react by simply blocking all cookies, then complain that they can't access their online financial accounts!

-David

John Henderson · 11-13-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Kelly

...we didn't get to vote on it...

Ah Sean, welcome to the European Union....

timpears · 11-13-2009, 04:09 PM

I had my computer set so that I had to allow cookies to be set each time a site tried to set one. So every time I went to a site that needed to set a cookie, a window would pop up and I had to click yes or no. What a pain in the ass. I stopped that pretty quick when I realized what I had done. So if this is what the Europeans want, I hope they enjoy it.

As far as I am concerned, I made that choice by setting my browser to accept them according to my choice. I don't want to have to make that choice each time I go to a web site. The extent to which politicians will go to protect us from ourselves, never ceases to amaze me.

JustVisiting · 11-13-2009, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SageSound

The funny part is that people might react by simply blocking all cookies, then complain that they can't access their online financial accounts!
-David

Another impossible to implement law thought up by overpaid EU bureaucrats who do not understand the practical implications of enforcing such hair-brained laws. Do they not realize the size and worldwide reach of the internet? I would suggest not.

shaddai · 11-13-2009, 05:46 PM

This will be interesting to see how the public reacts. The outright ignorance of government never ceases to amaze me.

Todd

Wakunahum · 11-13-2009, 06:30 PM

Ingenuity of Internet users and programmers will always think of solutions to bypass any regulations or laws this silly.

There is no way a handful of a few hundred people can make and enforce rules when you have millions of internet users and companies looking to work around whatever the legislation is.

I don't want to get too political, but I have always enjoyed the saying... they can't even keep illegal drugs out of prison.

jjthomas · 11-13-2009, 08:48 PM

Without modification, seems the EU is shooting themselves in the foot. It's basically saying "Ok guys, guess what. YOU DON'T GET TO USE THE INTERNET ANY MORE!". No one is going to do that... and... for those that do -- there are so many workarounds to the cookie, its not funny. It's kind of like saying you aren't allowed to ride horses in the street any more, when people have been driving cars for the last 100 years.

John Cabral · 11-13-2009, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelHiles

Stupid politicians creating legislation about things they have no understanding of it's purpose or function.

Stupid citizens allowing it to happen.

Stupid citizens allowing too many things to be allowed by the government and big lobbyist...

11-13-2009, 10:30 AM	#1
mrmagos Wordpress Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 147 Thanks: 5 Thanked 30 Times in 29 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	EU Cookie Law passed I'm American, so it's doubtful that I will experience any impact from this passing. Mind you, it won't go into effect until April 26, 2011, but I haven't seen any chatter about this and I wanted to bring this to the attention of our friends across the pond. I first heard about it on Slashdot about a month ago. Basically the new law states that users must give explicit consent before a cookie is placed on his/her computer. The Wall Street Journal paints a picture of users being "...bombarded with annoying pop-ups or pages asking for permission" whenever they visit a site. eConsultancy has some musing on how this could impact the affiliate industry. I know this is a long way off, but I thought it would help to give you guys a big heads up.
	Never start vast projects with half-vast ideas -- Wordpress Installation, Migration and Troubleshooting \| Free Marketing Tips & Education

11-13-2009, 10:46 AM	#2
Scott Ames Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: West of Rockies Posts: 5,556 Thanks: 363 Thanked 665 Times in 325 Posts	Re: EU Cookie Law passed Seems to me we already have this notification. All a user needs to do is enable it on the browser. I would be upset if that were bypassed by legislation. It should be my choice. (not that I'm affected. I just hope the US never gets this idea in their head)
	Action is the foundational key to all success. - Pablo Picasso

11-13-2009, 11:33 AM	#4
MichaelHiles Battle Scarred Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,563 Thanks: 665 Thanked 1,780 Times in 744 Posts Social Networking	Re: EU Cookie Law passed Guess the goofy bastages don't understand how a session variable works to make almost every web app in existence function. Their limited pea brained scope is that cookies are only used to track people's surfing on the internet. Stupid politicians creating legislation about things they have no understanding of it's purpose or function. Stupid citizens allowing it to happen.
	FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!!! @MichaelHiles Circle Me on Google+... http://gplus.to/michaelhiles >>>>>>>> GET THE STRAIGHT TALK at http://www.michaelhiles.com

11-13-2009, 11:37 AM	#5
Fernando Veloso Portuguese Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Good Old Europe Posts: 3,488 Blog Entries: 6 Thanks: 1,311 Thanked 810 Times in 556 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: EU Cookie Law passed 2011? Hope I move to Tahiti before that. This law is freakin amusing. Just like the European Union.
	Portugal Internet Marketing Since 2004. Fernando Veloso \| Seo Portugal \| Empresa SEO

11-13-2009, 03:50 PM	#7
SageSound Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 620 Thanks: 56 Thanked 129 Times in 90 Posts	Re: EU Cookie Law passed What a useless law! Browsers already allow this, and there are numerous 3rd-party tools to make it easier to deal with, like blocking all cookies from, say, doubleclick.com. The funny part is that people might react by simply blocking all cookies, then complain that they can't access their online financial accounts! -David

11-13-2009, 04:09 PM	#9
timpears Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Vancouver, WA, USA. Posts: 3,369 Thanks: 288 Thanked 527 Times in 380 Posts	Re: EU Cookie Law passed I had my computer set so that I had to allow cookies to be set each time a site tried to set one. So every time I went to a site that needed to set a cookie, a window would pop up and I had to click yes or no. What a pain in the ass. I stopped that pretty quick when I realized what I had done. So if this is what the Europeans want, I hope they enjoy it. As far as I am concerned, I made that choice by setting my browser to accept them according to my choice. I don't want to have to make that choice each time I go to a web site. The extent to which politicians will go to protect us from ourselves, never ceases to amaze me.
	Tim Pears Niche blog, insurance, for sale. Plr rights. High CPC, plus low competition key words. Check it out here for just $19.

11-13-2009, 05:46 PM	#11
shaddai HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 196 Thanks: 7 Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts Social Networking	Re: EU Cookie Law passed This will be interesting to see how the public reacts. The outright ignorance of government never ceases to amaze me. Todd
	“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” -Author Unknown Resident computer geek. If you need help, don't be afraid to PM here, or DM on Twitter.

11-13-2009, 06:30 PM	#12
Wakunahum Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Posts: 647 Thanks: 6 Thanked 37 Times in 33 Posts Contact Info	Re: EU Cookie Law passed Ingenuity of Internet users and programmers will always think of solutions to bypass any regulations or laws this silly. There is no way a handful of a few hundred people can make and enforce rules when you have millions of internet users and companies looking to work around whatever the legislation is. I don't want to get too political, but I have always enjoyed the saying... they can't even keep illegal drugs out of prison.

11-13-2009, 08:48 PM	#13
jjthomas Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 50 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: EU Cookie Law passed Without modification, seems the EU is shooting themselves in the foot. It's basically saying "Ok guys, guess what. YOU DON'T GET TO USE THE INTERNET ANY MORE!". No one is going to do that... and... for those that do -- there are so many workarounds to the cookie, its not funny. It's kind of like saying you aren't allowed to ride horses in the street any more, when people have been driving cars for the last 100 years.