Look how Google obeys European Cookie Law, but is this enough?

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Have you noticed Google Analytics adhering to the European cookie law?

Look where they place the cookie popup!

1.Bottom of their image on the Google Analytics sign in page, which means you can sign in without ever seeing that plugin or noticing it or making a decision to click on it. I don't know how long it is there but it's the first time I noticed it yet have been using that page quite a while!

2. And they have made it totally blend in so it is not as annoying as virtually every other website out there trying to 'comply', the other websites have understood the law to mean the visitor to their site must decide before proceeding, hence the 'annoying' aspect of the cookie law, it literally gets in the way of our traffic who may bounce off.

The Irony of it All!

So here we have Google one of the primary instigators of cookies world wide on the web 'obeying' the cookie law in what might be called one of the loosest interpretations of it?? Google, 'just another website'?!

Is Google Doing Enough About European or Any Other Cookie Policy?

My main point actually is that the responsibility for cookies on websites lies primarily with Google itself, who designed cookie technology, and perhaps Affilate Software designers who need to educate us all in the workings of the web when it comes to the tools we use to get through shopping carts or whatever.

Right here right now though we have one of the biggest players on the internet - Google itself - chugging along like one of us relatively teeny weeny website owners, 'obeying the rules', like just another website - not only doing it in a much more slick way than anyone else, that barely has their ass covered, but who are they kidding - why are we loading our websites with plugins and pop ups because of their cookie inventions when really it is up to them to educate people on full disclosure, and that would be visitors and website owners alike.

**We are in the same boat as the visitor to our sites and not Google when it comes to cookies, imo.

I've had a few other blogs on this recently, on how European Law harms websites and the other straws being loaded on the camel's back eg mostr recently all the fluff with gdpr

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/mozmary/blog/why-european-co...

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/social-engagement-marketing/...

Mary

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Recent Comments

20

Hi! MozMary
Thank you for your update on Google's response to the European Cookie Law.

Thanks for sharing, Mary - I've got a lot to learn.

Best,

Norman

Google treats EU fines like the rest of us treat parking violations.

They will demsonstrate their attempt to comply, and the courts will decide.

Whatever the outcome, Google won't lose any sleep.

That's odd. I'm not seeing what you're seeing. I see a popup at the bottom of the screen which stays at the bottom of the screen when I scroll down. It's similar to the plugin that I use.

that is the same pic as above - the plugin is tucked neatly away at the bottom where we never have to notice it, you may not see it at all, especially when most people go there to simply sign in and that button is top right. I've tried scrolling down the page like you said and I'm amazed how it stays at the bottom - totally out of the way at all times. Well that is not my experience on most every other site I've visited - also even if you do you use that plugin, good luck getting it to match your decor ;) You'd swear it was made for that particular site, doesn't even look like a plugin.

- and the point is most websites in Europe slap you in the face with the cookie plugin because they interpret the law as the visitor needing to make a decision before using the site, see how Google Analytics really is not forcing a decision at all on the visitor - tonight twice on one page on my national tv website I was stopped from viewing a video until I clicked a cookie acceptance - I left and did not watch the video, because there is just too much cookie clicking in the course of a surfing session

- and the plugin matches their decor, it has to be the least annoying plugin I've ever seen, worthless, and 99% of other sites out there are getting higher bounce rates while the real cookie monsters are so cosy there

Have a look at my website. My cookie popup us very similar to Google's. I chose a white background which blends in with the site and it stays there when people scroll down.
http://marionblackonline.com
The only thing the popup blocks is the text in the footer.

I see you've made it white! And it certainly is more out of sight but it still messes you up a bit doesn't it by cutting off the bottom of your page

and from what a lot of other sites are doing this could be on the soft side of getting the visitor to choose - most sites don't let us progress into shopping or using the site till we click it

so congrats on getting that thing almost invisible but you still could be accused of not complying and they still can be accused of messing you up a bit

THEN add in all the other disclaimers they are piling on top of us, this won't be the only plugin we need, and it's not solving anyone's issue, just keeping them out of trouble. See Ivy's comment!

I've counted about 6 things at the moment that we are supposed to make visible to the visitor IMMEDIATELY on landing on our site before they progress to consuming any content! None of which help the visitor at all and certainly don't help us

I'm just thinking we need to stand up collectively to 'compliance', though clearly managing it well as you are doing is necessary in the meantime, but if google can get away with less aggressive compliance plugins all those other sites out there should think about toning down, for starters

And it's getting worse. Surely everyone who uses the internet knows that websites use cookies. And what's the latest thing that Europe has to comply with?

If our internet providers would just tell people what they're in for when they start using the internet then all this "compliance" crap could stop.

How about a big notice for all internet users

Very interesting!!

Tried and true

Elaine

Keep on the good fight

Wow, Lad yMozMary. this is an interesting post. I am not far enough along in the training to really understand what it's all about yet, but I found it very eye opening. Thanks. Carol

LOL, my title held for more than a day :)

TeeHee!

Thanks for sharing, Mary.

The law is always hobbling along behind technology. Leaky apps, sneaky appliances, and dodgy businesses pop up quicker than any legislation can play whackamole with them. This is one more example of it.

Look at the most recent news about Cambridge Analytica! What a surprise! FB user data was captured without permission (some took personality quizzes - then all their friend data was secretly collected too), and the data was then shared for unreasonable ends, that were not originally stated (originally collected for academic reasons, stored and sent for the purposes of political targeting of people during the election). The research company has dubious political connections.

Injecting popups on a page to say - hey, here’s a page to explain what we collect and how we might use it - seems flaccid, when I consider how dishonest and sloppy some commercial entities have been with personal data, and how soft a target they’ve also been for third parties who wish to grab that info.

But the popup is not for your protection. It’s to diminish others’ liability. It’s like putting up a sign in front of a broken-down bridge, rather than finding a way to fix the bridge we each must cross.

wow Ivy, brilliantly put!

I'm sort of hoping people with websites will say no to the growing craze of signs they want us to put up now, but not just individual disobedience, clearly the small guys are carrying all this for the big guys, and the real abusers aren't impacted at all...

I know, I know. And it's not even big guys wedded to signage and legislation that I fear most online.

It's the tiny groups you've never heard of, whose app you just downloaded from the online store onto your phone. Or the weird third party of a third party of a third party that contracts to your bank. They're beholden to no-one, and nobody security tests their products or services. There is no signage, and the number of customers they have for your personal information is crazy.

Hey, on this same topic, last night I got a surprise text message invite to an artist's opening. Someone I used to study with, over 20 yrs ago.

I've never given him my number. Don't know anyone who would.

But lo!

The very prestigious science association that I once purchased a student membership from (like, actually only once, almost a decade ago, for $30 as a test drive) had a spill of data they didn't report to anyone. Left the personal details of all their customers up. And hence, my friend found me.

Which is nice. But not cool.

And all because of some shoddy admin in some dumb org whose membership I once sampled as a student representative in order to determine if it was any good to offer to the wider student body. So, what should frighten us most? The blackhats, or the *rsebackwards of the world?

Pardon my French.

good post
Jerry

Thanks Jerry!

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