From 25th May the European e-Privacy Directive is due to be implemented in the UK. This will change the laws relating to the use of online cookies. According to sources including the BBC, the Directive will state that cookies, or similar tracking files must not be used unless “explicit consent” is gained from web users.
The exception to this rule will be cookies that are “strictly necessary” for the provision of a service, such as remembering what a customer has placed in their basket on an e-commerce site.
The law will mean however, that consent must be gained for all other cookies, including those used for web analytics, personalization or non-essential purposes such as advertisement tracking.
While the exact requirements for the law are still being drawn up by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), marketers, especially digital ones like us, will need to start considering how we might encourage web users to opt-in, and how the new laws will affect our output.
