We’ve all been there, you’re bouncing from website to website hitting cookie pop-ups like you’re playing international track and field! Thanks to Brexit, we finally have something we all wanted. Guaranteed, free EU roaming on mobiles, nope. £350 million for the NHS, nope. A reduction in data protection obligations, yeeeeaaaaassssssss!
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have estimated small businesses could save £1 billion in cost savings with a new Data Reform Bill. The announcement wants a crackdown on “Red Tape” and “highly complex” General Protection Regulation to “seize the benefits of Brexit”.
The Bloomberg news reports users will be given the option to opt-out rather than needing to opt-in for the collection of cookies. Will this remove annoying cookie pop-ups or simple change the button from “I agree” to “I don’t agree”? Will changing to opt-out also open up the average internet user to abuse by less ethical companies?
Radio X has reported our preference could be set by our browser. The browser would then automatically apply our preferences to every website we visit. We’re wondering, does UK law need to be changed to introduce this?
Currently, most internet users blindly agree to policy after policy. Universally linking cookies preferences through browsers could be the way forwards. This would allow internet users to take the time to set cookies up once, and then automatically apply them to every website visited.
Everyone agrees cookie pop-ups are annoying however, they protect us by holding companies accountable. We believe the main problem with cookies is a usability issue and not an issue with the law that requires them. We should always opt-in, never opt-out, as this puts the onus on the companies to do their part not vice-versa. Let’s improve usability, not allow the law to be changed at our expense. Allow browsers to speak to your preferences and let’s kill off the cookies pop-up forever. One day we can laugh about the annoying cookies pop-up like us oldies who remember the annoying dial-up modem sound from “back in the day”!
If you too are looking for an engaging website that follows the latest GDPR, please contact the team here at SourceCodeStudio. Become one of the many happy clients we have worked with from a variety of industries of all sizes.
