Posts About ‘cookies’

The Ultimate Cookie Legislation Guide

cookie-monster

I don’t think any one of us would have predicted that when we saw cookie monster in Sesame Street cookies would have such a big impact on our lives. We might have thought we needed to protect our cookies, but we probably all thought cookie monster was after the ones in our mothers cookie basket. Never ones which made sure we did our jobs right.

Now the cookie monster has changed into a governmental creature. And instead of eating all our cookies, he is simply telling us we have to ask permission. Hmm it does sound a lot like my mother back then if you think about it…

Ever since the EU decided on the new cookie regulations the online industry has been in distress: what is really happening? what are we supposed to do? What are the implications? Nobody really seems to know, not even those who made the regulations in the first place. (more…)

Big Brand Keynote Panel

sascon-opening-panel

Here we are at SAScon, the Manchester-based search, analytics & social conference that just keeps getting bigger & better.

After an emotional introduction from Manual Link Building‘s Gareth Hoyle and Manchester Digital‘s Richard Hudson, we kick off the first day of SAScon with a big brand keynote session moderated by Richard Gregory and featuring Ben McKay from Moneysupermarket, Martin McDonald from Expedia, and James Hamlin from Seatwave. (more…)

Digesting the EU Cookie Legislation

footprint

Perhaps it’s been the way in which the new legislation has been communicated, but there certainly seems to be an air of confusion. At SEOgadget we’ve been doing quite a lot of work recently to better understand the directive ourselves, and also to work out how best to advise clients on the most appropriate action to take. Rather than writing a definitive ‘how to comply’ type post, I thought it would be pretty interesting to put down some thoughts on the matter, and discuss some of the more confusing aspects of the legislation.

The challenge here is that we’re advising on a legal document, and whilst we understand cookies and the part they play in websites, we’re definitely not qualified lawyers. If your clients are seriously worried about the possibility of picking up a fine it’s probably best that they seek proper legal advice. However, the chances of receiving a fine as a first resort look pretty slim; the most likely form of punishment (if any) is a warning stating that your website does not comply, complete with details of where you’re going wrong. That being said, it looks like this is here to stay so it’s well worth at the very least gaining a good understanding of how this could affect yours or your clients sites. (more…)

UK Cookie Law Deferred for One Year

no-more-cookies

The BBC is today reporting that UK websites have been given one year to comply with EU Cookie Laws by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).  So what does this mean for UK business websites? Put simply it means that no business website will be charged for not complying with the EU Guideline until the UK agrees on a workable solution.

In fact, it seems that the UK that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is currently working with browser manufacturers to offer the cookie blocking/acceptance  feature into their technologies – indeed they have said that is the only option they are currently considering. (more…)

Don’t want personal ads? Google lets you opt-out

no-more-cookies

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few months about cookies. Yes, the cookies on the computer. Those that register what you do online. And those that provide you with content which is much more personal then it was in the past.

But not everybody likes that. In fact, it has been the debate in the European Union for the past year whether or not we should all be opting in for the cookies, meaning we would be accepting (or not) cookies by clicking on an acceptance button every time we visit a webpage. This debate ran not only in Europe, but also in the US where the FTC looked into a mechanism that could help to easily opt out of the cookies.

One of the biggest ‘targets’ in the discussion has been Google. The search giant has been aimed at by privacy commissioners all over the world. And now that company announces a new extension on Google Chrome which does exactly what the FTC wants: opt out of ad tracking cookies. They launch the “Keep My Opt-Outs” extension. (more…)

What if they take away the cookies

In Europe there has been a lot of debate about cookies. Because of privacy regulations it could be that some countries decide cookies are a “no go”. What that would mean for websites, search and social is almost indescribable. Even though we should all be aware of privacy matters, taking away the cookies probably is not the best way to go. But how to make those who don’t understand how things work understand the importance of cookies? Maybe this video from IAB UK can help.


The big cookie contest – Animated Explanations