The European Union wants to stop browser cookie pop-ups

Back in 2012, the European Union passed a law requiring websites to give visitors a warning regarding browser cookies. These pop-ups or banner warnings are now common place across the web and were initially intended to protect user privacy but for the most part, they are just seen as an annoying box getting in the way of whatever content you are trying to access. It seems the European Union now also agrees with that and wants to do away with cookie pop-up warnings.

According to a drafted document for a new security law obtained by Reuters, the European Union wants to propose some new security rules, using stricter language for how companies handle user data along with doing away with websites needing to ask user permission to use cookies.

Cookies are essentially how many sites track user data across the web, containing data of sites you visited previously, along with where in the world you are located. As Business Insider points out, a lot of advertising companies rely on cookie data to target better ads towards you. So if you were shopping for something on Amazon and then later saw an advert for that very same product on another site or app, that was no coincidence.

Cookie banners appear every time a user visits a new site, or every time their browser data is cleared, unless you have your privacy settings set to strict within a browser like Chrome. The document set to be presented to the EU notes that “while such banners serve to empower users, at the same time, they may cause irritation because users are forced to read the notices and click on boxes”.

KitGuru Says: At this point, I have pretty much got used to the constant cookie reminders but they can still be a bit of a nuisance. Would you guys like to see the EU do away with cookie notification laws, or do you think they are important for informing users?

Become a Patron!