Law firm helps web sites avoid a cookie monster
Press release: 26/06/2003
Most businesses use internet cookies on their web sites. But a
new UK law, in force later this year, introduces a new challenge:
to tell visitors about the use of cookies and how they can delete
or control them.
To help businesses meet that challenge, international law firm
Masons has launched a free web site service called About Cookies
(http://www.aboutcookies.org/).
Shelagh Gaskill, a partner with Masons, explains:
"The new law requires that a web site
operator clearly indicates to visitors that the site uses cookies
or other tracking technologies and gives users the opportunity to
reject them."
Cookies are small text files used by most commercial web sites.
The files are sent from a web server to a web site user's computer
and are stored on the user's hard drive, so that when the user
visits the site again, the site will remember the user.
Gaskill, one of Britain's leading authorities on data protection
law, explained the problem:
"The obvious place for this information may
be as part of a privacy policy. But these policies have to be short
to be user friendly – and adding a few pages on how to delete or
control cookies would make them unwieldy."
"So we created About Cookies to relieve this
burden from British businesses. Any sites can link to our site free
of charge. About Cookies explains much of what their users will
need to know."
The site gives visitors instructions on dealing with cookies for
the most popular browsers – including various versions of
Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera. "It's
not realistic to expect every business to update its privacy policy
every time Microsoft releases a new version of its browser,"
reasoned Gaskill.
The DTI last week finished a public consultation on its draft
Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations
2003. The Regulations are to implement a European Directive in the
UK before 31st October 2003.
Development of the site is continuing, with new information
being added to give even more help to internet users and
businesses.
For further information please contact:
Shelagh Gaskill
Masons
shelagh.gaskill@masons.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 6591
Struan Robertson
Masons
struan.robertson@masons.com
Tel: +44 (0)141 249 5422 / +44 (0)7771 88 10 22
Notes to Editors:
- With over 100 partners and 700 staff worldwide, Masons has an
outstanding reputation for its services to business operating in
the construction & engineering, energy, infrastructure and
projects industries and to users and suppliers of technology. The
firm advises in the key areas of project finance, corporate,
commercial, data protection, insolvency, tax, employment, health
and safety, pensions, property, planning, environment and national
and international dispute avoidance and resolution.
- Masons also operates OUT-LAW.COM (http://www.out-law.com/). With more
than 3,000 pages of free news, guides and contracts for downloading
on issues of IT and e-commerce law, and 13,900 registered users, is
one of the largest law firm web sites in the world.
- The new About Cookies site was first launched last year by the
team behind OUT-LAW.COM, Masons' on-line legal service. A redesign
was launched on 25 June 2003.
- The draft Regulations contain the following section, which
covers cookies:
5.1. (1) A person shall not use an electronic communications
network to store information, or to gain access to information
stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user, unless
the requirements of paragraph (2) are met.
(2) The requirements are that the subscriber or user of that
terminal equipment is:
(a) provided with clear and comprehensive information about the
purposes of the storage of, or access to, such information; and
(b) given the opportunity to refuse the storage of or access to
such information.
- Government's
consultation paper on the new law
- For further information, please visit: http://www.aboutcookies.org/
