How Companies Can Comply with the UK Cookie Law
This affects your online privacy rights...I'm taking a departure from my normal writing topics to propose a solution to UK companies that have to comply with the UK cookie law (having just got a 1 year reprieve). If you've got no idea what I'm on about you might want to read this BBC article.
A quick explanation of cookies...
Many websites use cookies (a small file saved on your computer) to store information about you and your use of their site. This can be great and make your browsing life better by making it easier to log in quickly, see things according to previously saved preferences and also be presented with the most relevant content. However they can also by used more maliciously by unscrupulous advertisers. Read more about cookies here.
The new law - pros and cons...
The new law is all about making it more transparent to you - the user - about what data is being collected and stored. The proposal is pretty much that every time a website wants to store information you'd have to give your explicit permission. Great for privacy, right? Not so good for a smooth web experience - imagine the number of times you'd be interrupted whilst being asked for permission (much, much more than you'd think)!
A possible solution...
So I'm presenting this solution to both users of the internet (I'm guessing there's one or two of you out there) and to companies which have to comply with the new law. What do you think (let me know in the comments)?
It's quite simple really - every website that uses cookies would have to have a page (call it 'Your Cookie Privacy') and this page would display all of the information stored about you in cookies for the site you're currently browsing. You'd then have options to block them completely (total privacy), block certain information (whilst being 'warned' what the consequences of blocking would be - such as having to reset preference every time you visit the site), or simply allow it to continue using cookies in the same way it always has. This gives the best of both worlds... total control goes to the user whilst allowing the browsing experience to remain as uninterrupted as the user allows it.
Problem solved?
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