Cookie acceptance popups are now ubiquitous on most websites and can ruin your web browsing experience. They are usually the first thing you see on a website and therefore give you the option to accept cookies or not. So we are going to show you why you really do have a choice!
Uh ok, but what is a Cookie again?
Cookie fans, move along, browser cookies are small text files that your internet browser automatically downloads on each website you visit. Cookies generally contain your preferences relating to the website you are visiting and allow them to be retained across all pages of that site. They can also contain identification information that allows the site to know who you are when you return later. For example, cookies can contain the contents of your shopping cart on a merchant site. So if you return to the site later (from the same browser) you will find the products in your shopping cart.
The downside is that any website can read cookies created by another website, so they can easily be used to track your web browsing habits without your knowledge, as many online ad networks do. Cookies aren't always bad, but they can be misused. That's why discussions about cookies are often lumped in with other privacy issues on the web.
Why is it called a cookie?
Cookie means biscuit in English. There are several hypotheses as to the origin of this name but here is the one that seems most likely to me. To make a long story short, in the 70s, programmers used the term "magic cookies" to designate bits of code that machines transmitted to each other in order to identify themselves. Just like the crumbs of a biscuit that fall when you nibble on it, these "cookies" made it possible to trace these exchanges.
Cookie pop-ups galore… Thanks to whom?
Thank you European Union!
Indeed, in 2016, the European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in May 2018. In conjunction with the ePrivacy Directive 2002/2009, websites hosted in the EU must obtain consent from visitors before tracking them using cookies. To comply with this regulation, EU websites must:
- Ask for consent before using any cookies that are not strictly necessary.
- Provide information about what each cookie tracks before obtaining consent.
- Keep a record of consents received from site visitors.
- Allow visitors to easily withdraw consent if it has already been given.
- Allow visitors to access the site even if they refuse the use of certain cookies.
To comply with these laws, website designers have created pop-up dialog boxes that alert you to their use of cookies and, in some cases, ask you whether you want to accept or decline special tracking cookies.
If a site uses what the EU calls “strictly necessary cookies” that enable the site to function (like a shopping cart) but don’t track you across sites, it doesn’t need to get your consent, but it still needs to warn you that it’s using cookies. This has led to pop-ups saying things like “We use cookies…” with no opt-in or opt-out dialogue.
Is it necessary to accept cookies?
The answer is no! As the last rule in the list above shows, any website that complies with European cookie regulations must allow you to access the site even if you refuse its tracking cookies. Otherwise, the site could be subject to sanctions and fines.
This means that visitors to European websites are not just given the illusion of choice ("accept this or never mind"). Instead, you have the right to refuse cookies from a site and continue using it.
However, this type of regulation is only really implementable by large sites with significant technical resources. Fortunately, they are generally the ones who are most able to exploit your browsing data!
And if like me you are exasperated by these intrusive popups that spoil the browsing experience, I can only recommend the extension once again I do not care about cookies which allows you to make them disappear!
Article updated on January 7, 2025 by Byothe
