EU: cookie law opt in script

I could be wrong but I'm sure its the other way around. You have to give them the option to opt out and give clear details in the privacy policy that you are tracking using cookies to track them.

It's all about informed consent and making sure no one is placing cookies on a browser without permisssion.

Cookie Stuffing programmes are now illegal and we all remember the Hogan case.

The ASA in the UK is really hot now on sites which are not legal truthful and honest.You can send them your site for a health check why take a chance?

I'm sure the USA has a similar service.The law is extremely complex and I would advise everyone to take out insurance cover.

On this basis if we're realy honest with ourselves the scammers brought this upon themselves.Too many offers on websites are just untrue.Most need to be qualified since the illegal sites have tranished us all in that the public just feel here comes another snakeoil mlm charlatan.

Just look at the blatant OTT claims on most of the homepages of clickbank products.Each new product tries to out do the other promising a magic bullet to earn income whilst you sleep or teaching omline methods which are somewhat dubious.Not all but there are far too many black hat idiots.
I'm surprised the USA is not more stringent like the ASA (who only have a code) in prosecuting websites which are full of untruths.It's only a matter of time.
If you wouldn't sell it to your Mother don't sell it .

A useful legal update site is ICO publishes advice on how websites can comply with new 'cookie law' | Pinsent Masons LLP

This would effectively reduce the ability of google analytics to deliver any kind of accurate data, if say only 3 out of 10 users allow cookies, then how could you expect to get any kind of accurate indication of traffic on your site,

It seems like we may be facing a serious threat to our ability to generate revenue using cookies...

yeah we get a year to sort everything out. The system are we are looking into is having a light box type jquery script run when a user first enters the page that refers them to our privacy policy and gives them the option to leave the page or accept our terms.

Looks like the uk goverment is working with microsoft/mozilla/google to try and sort a browser based solution though so we are hoping that other then updating our privacy policy we can just ignore it for now.

It is still a ridiculous piece of legislation.

dave

So basically if we're gonna put any type of cookie in our visitor's computer (which is probably done by 99% of all websites in the world btw)... we have to ask our users permission first?

If that's the case then every website will be like a porn site we're users are asked if they're 18 or not.

Does this apply on websites hosted on EU only?

I have written a blog post on this particular subject at http://www.onlinetrafficsuccess.com/2011/the-eu-cookie-problem-and-is-this-the-end-of-affiliate-marketing-3 which outlines what i think should happen but in my opinion I don't think we should worry as long as the affiliate networks listen to the affiliates and the product creators

New rules for cookies suggest that all websites will need to get permission from users when using cookies. Cookies are small files used to store key information about a visitor and remember preferences. This could include personal information, such as the visitor's location or interests, which presents a privacy issue. However, most cookies are used to store anonymous information and preferences, either to remember key selections made by the visitor or to track navigation for marketing purposes, and are generally there to make life easier for users.

New rules on cookies

Many cookies are provided by third party code, for example when you add a script from Flickr or Facebook to your website. This code can include content that will help track how visitors find their website, for example. For this reason many website managers that don't have the knowledge to create cookies themselves may still be affected by the proposed changes. And it's the third party cookies for ad tracking that are apparently being targeted by this legislation.
These changes are being applied by the UK government's Information Commissioner's Office to comply with new EU legislation. The ICO says it will give companies time to correct irregularities before any penalties will apply. However, a number of organisations including browser companies such as Google are reportedly in talks with government to minimise the impact.

Cookie law delayed for a year

The main thing is not to panic, because the BBC reports that any compliance has been rolled back to May 2012. They quote concerns about usability if people have to provide permission every time they visit a website, with Gregory Roekens, CTO of marketing firm Wunderman stating "We need to make sure we don't have pop-ups appearing everywhere."
According to IT journal The Register, 19 of the 27 EU countries ignored the original legislation.
Cookie law problems

The Guardian denounces the ICO guidance as a "shambles". The problem with the rules is that compliance will result in frustration for the user, who will constantly have to provide permission before using new websites. According to the information commissioner Christopher Graham, "Browser settings giving individuals more control over cookies will be an important contributor to a solution, but the necessary changes to the technology aren't there yet." And legal experts still don't know how to advise their clients.

Changes due to new rules on cookies
IT Pro reports on the browser updates, with Google, Microsoft and Firefox all developing opt-out buttons into their future products. This should give users the ability to opt out of cookies without having to negotiate pop-ups.
Google Chrome appears to have been the first to act in response to similar legislation in the United States, with an opt-out setting added to the current version of Chrome.
The general view seems to be 'watch this space', as the practical implications and legal requirements are not yet known. It seems likely that business owners and managers of websites will not have to do anything as the problem is solved in a different way.