Where to find British cookies — not the edible kind
A brief explanation of cookies, what they’re used for, and how and why they are regulated the way they are in the United Kingdom.
You may think that you wouldn’t find a single cookie in the United Kingdom, as they are called “biscuits” here. But you’d be wrong, as you can’t go on the internet without finding a pop-up asking you to accept them.
According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), “[Cookies] allow the website to recognize that user’s device and store some information about the user’s preferences or past actions.”
Some cookies remember your username or password, if you left anything in your online shopping cart, and if you’ve watched that video before. Other cookies, however, follow your online activity and keep track of what you look at, buy, or don’t buy. These are called “third-party cookies,” and they aren’t necessary for the website to function.
In 2011, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) were amended regarding cookies, detailed in regulation 6. “In brief, You must tell people if you set cookies, and clearly explain what the cookies do and why. You must also get the user’s consent. Consent must be actively and clearly given. There is an exception for cookies that are essential to provide an online service at someone’s request (eg to remember what’s in their online basket, or to ensure security in online banking),” summarizes the ICO.
This is why you get a pop-up on every single website you go on while in the U.K.
Television host John Oliver recently covered cookies and their dangers on his show Last Week Tonight. As The Guardian summarizes, “He used the example of a domestic violence victim whose address came up on a data broker website. Oliver also shared a horrifying story of a stalker who killed a former classmate after finding her with info he brought for $45.”
Data brokers, like the U.K. company Databroker, “source and build data lists specifically for direct mail, telemarketing and email marketing campaigns” from third-party cookies. But, as in the example above, date lists made by data brokers can be bought by anyone for the right price, sometimes without the person knowing.
Dangers like this are what prompted the PECR to be amended in 2011. “All the free stuff that you take for granted online is only free because you are the product,” said Oliver.
U.K.’s law, while protecting an individual’s privacy, can cause problems for companies who are using cookies to know their audience/customers. “It’s hard to tell our marketers who our audience is when they have to opt-in,” says Phil Davison, global head of sales for the New Statesman Media Group.
Every cookies pop-up has included an explainer of why the cookies are used and for what, also giving the user the option to customize the non-essential cookies. But almost all of them either give the option to accept all or go to a customization page. At the end of the day, it’s as The Guardian says at the top of their pop-up, “It’s your choice.”
