Hover over the graphic to read the stories. A big word of thanks to Dennis Brown for this one.
ICO steps back from cookie law on its own site
The cookie consent law – which required sites in the UK to ask permission before dropping tracking cookies on users’ PCs – has taken another hit. The Information Commissioner’s Office, the regulator tasked with policing the rule, is removing its own banner explicitly asking for consent in favour of a more relaxed “implied consent” – essentially a note saying the site uses cookies.
“We first introduced a notice about cookies in May 2011, and at that time we chose to ask for explicit consent for cookies. We felt this was appropriate at the time, considering that many people didn’t know much about cookies and what they were used for,” the ICO said.
Good News – It is time to remove those annoying popups!!! The stupid UK cookie law is dead at last via @silktide
— Geoff Hayward (@GeoffreyHayward) February 1, 2013
“Since then, many more people are aware of cookies – both because of what we’ve been doing, and other websites taking their own steps to comply. We now consider it’s appropriate for us to rely on a responsible implementation of implied consent, as indeed have many other websites.”
The ICO has never actually prescribed exactly what route websites should take to meet the rules, but surely this is a sign websites opting for implied consent are in the clear. Website developer Silktide called the ICO “fickle”, choosing to express its thoughts via an extremely sarcastic infographic.