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New Cookie Regulation
A new European Regulation from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is requesting that all websites must, as of 26th May 2012, get 'informed consent' from users before recording any detailed information stored on their computer.
If a website is using cookies a message must now appear asking the user for their consent on accepting cookies. Cookies can be seen as an evil and intrusive spying mechanism tracking your every move on the web - or a harmless text file designed to make your life easier.
Cookies are important for many reasons; advertisers use them to attract repeat business and target online users with relevant advertising, website authors use cookies to track statistics and remember key information, especially so with ecommerce websites.
Cookies themselves are actually harmless and typically contain just a site name and a user ID. When you visit a website for the first time a cookie is 'dropped' onto your PC. The next time you visit the same website again, your PC checks to see if you have the relevant cookie information, and if it has, sends the information back to the website. The site then knows who you are and can adjust accordingly. More sophisticated cookies can even record the time you have spent on a web page, the links you have clicked, the browser you are using, and even what is stored in your shopping basket.
So why the uproar? And why the new European Regulation? Well, many users believe websites are storing information about them and their preferences without their consent. And then using this information to target them with advertising. Whilst this is true, many websites do already outline their cookie policy and for your permission in their Terms and Conditions.
Yambo will be implementing this new European Regulation for all our clients over the coming months - please see below our cookie policy:
Cookies
Cookies are fragments of data sent through the web server and stored on your hard drive. Cookies cannot read the files stored on your computer, nor can they gather any private or personal information about you on your computer. Our cookies monitor the traffic on our website, so we know which pages have been visited and how much time a user has spent on a particular page and with which browser, etc. Cookies are also stored when filling in our contact form and help remember key information for you - making it easier for you to browse our website the next time you visit. Yambo does not sell this information to advertisers, nor does it change your computer settings in any way. Cookies will be automatially set if you do not select an option but can always be reset using your browser settings. Refusing cookies may interfere with the quality and speed of your browsing experience on our website, since some features may not work as they were intended.