The Cookie Law | The Digital Clicks Blog
There must have been a collective sigh of relief for web marketers across the UK when the ICO postponed the enforcement of last month’s cookie law. Simply making visitors aware that websites require cookies is no longer enough, many businesses will be forced to request and obtain permission from each user. A year’s grace period has been given by the ICO to “get their house in order,” providing that businesses are proactive in remedying violations throughout the year and amendments are made before May 21, 2012. The law prohibits the use of cookies without the expressed consent of the visitor, but exceptions are made for those that are deemed to be completely necessary. Cue debate about what ‘necessary’ entails; every preference stated requires a cookie. For many businesses, the law will include a complete overhaul of how their websites work, as being integral to current forms of online marketing is not deemed necessary. Full disclosure is required on the part of the business, which will significantly limit the use of analytical services if expressed consent is not provided. For those in areas of internet marketing in the UK, this will pose a substantial problem, as the cookies that provide websites with the ability to target users with ads directly will be made illegal. SEO companies and those using PPC services will be hit hard, as cookies are the most convenient and reliable measurement of unique and repeat visitors. The law won’t just affect those in online marketing, but users as well. Until a manageable solution has been found, we’re likely to be subjected to a variety of different requests for consent that many users will likely find intrusive and annoying. Also, if asked to consider the implications of a request for consent, it is unlikely that users will accept if they can access content regardless. The cookie law leaves the future of internet marketing in the UK uncertain. It will be difficult for online businesses to gather accurate representations of visitor activity regarding their websites, and those relying on analytics will be forced to either ignore the law and face the consequences or find unobtrusive ways of acquiring consent.