COOKIE LEGISLATION IN THE UK and EU
Our Compliance With These Regulations
The route to compliance can be complex and expensive for the average SME, especially if they have a number of websites. Providing every option for customers to edit cookies would ultimately cause additional costs that would have to be passed onto the customer.
We feel that most of our customers would prefer lower cost options and a simpler Internet browsing experience, so we have made the decision to use the ‘accept or leave’ principal. As we are a private business and do not provide a public service this is not disadvantaging any person or group, as it remains our choice as to who we do business with. In a nutshell, if you don’t trust our cookies then you don’t trust us, therefore you would not want to do business with us.
If you said NO, but now would like to say YES, as this page opened in a separate window our home page will still exist on another tab or in another window until you close it.
If you are unwilling to accept our cookies as being safe, you may still contact us using the telephone number at the head of the home page, or use the Email button / link without cookies being stored on your computer.
Cookie Legislation
From 26 May 2011 a new privacy law came into effect across the EU. The law requires that websites ask visitors give their consent for the website to use most types of web cookies. This big brother legislation has not been instigated as a result of public pressure or complaints, but from an official opinion that, to quote the ICO “individuals generally have a low understanding of what cookies are.”
Enforcement notices and a penalty up to a maximum of £500,000 can be levied by the ICO on those web site owners who use these web cookies without the permission of their web site users / viewers.
This creates a negative impact on the usability of websites, as users now have to confirm that they are happy for a visited web site to create and store information cookies on the users hard drive, most of which are wholly and solely for the added benefit and enjoyment of the user.
Enforcement
In the UK, the enforcement requirement was passed to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) who have given a 12 month ‘lead in’ period for web site owners to put the ‘appropriate’ measures in place, though the exact nature of those measures appear unclear and quite confused.
An Essential Part of Internet User Experience
Apart from the irritation to users, who are distracted from their desire to browse
the Internet without constant nagging for cookie permissions, cookies speed up the
process of accessing websites already visited, and help users avoid lengthy log-
Some users who say no to cookies may find that because their user details are not now stored, websites that offer extra discounts and special offers for regular visitors will have no means of counting the number or frequency of visits, therefore they will lose such benefits. Indeed, the legislation is particularly aggressive against commercial and third party cookies.
The legislation will also disadvantage UK and EU businesses in world Internet trade, as most other countries businesses do not have these limitations placed on them, yet almost all ‘dubious’ cookies originate from these other countries and are viral or malware in nature so dealt with and destroyed by your antivirus software.
Increased Risk to Internet Users
It has been suggested that this legislation could actually cause more risk than it is claimed to prevent. Most websites use safe cookies designed to make websites quicker and more efficient, and to gather visitor statistical data. By storing them on the customer’s own computer the customer has full control, and with simple, often free, software can examine those cookies and delete them if necessary.
This legislation may cause some more dubious website owners to instead find ways to gather and store your personal data on their own servers without your knowledge or permission, so you lose any control over that data. This no doubt would ultimately cause more legislation to be created which will made Internet browsing even more difficult, further undermining businesses and all Internet service providers.
The big winners in this legislation are those employed to monitor the legislation
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Petition
You may want to sign the petition objecting to they way in which this patronising ‘big brother’ legislation is being applied at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14640