Cookies: New UK Legislation

Posted by GregChapman on
URL: https://support.nabble.com/Cookies-New-UK-Legislation-tp7500768.html

Thanks to a colleague expressing worries today about Google Analytics and new legislation, I have finally put two facts together that I really should have been thinking about in combination for some time.

1. Nabble uses cookies.

2. Legislation that came into effect on 26 May 2011 will begin to be enforced from the end of May 2012.

This is European Union inspired legislation which, as usual, the UK is implementing ahead of other member countries. It requires that:
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Your website must avoid the use of cookies or similar technologies, unless the subscriber or user:
1. is provided with clear and comprehensive information about the purposes of the storage of, or access to, that information; and
2. has given his or her consent.
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Can you, with some urgency, provide a non-technical description of the cookies used by a Nabble application.

I confess I haven't read the full terms of the legislation yet, but have found a guidance paper on a government site, which should prove helpful.

I understand, from news stories, that delivering adverts based on cookie data will bring a site under the scope of the legislation, so adding checkbox on the registration screen, does not appear to be a sufficient measure.

EDIT: My colleague has now pointed me to a page on his host's site that explains things reasonably succinctly:
http://www.heartinternet.co.uk/blog/2012/04/what-to-do-about-the-new-eu-cookie-law/
Hope this helps.