Cookies
Regulating cookies is unnecessary and reduces consumer choice - ISPA UK
Cookies are small files placed on computers by websites to distinguish individual computer terminals.
Cookies are fundamental to providing user-friendly online services. The most common functions of e-commerce would be impossible without them.
Without cookies, users could not store their browsing preferences and would have to re-enter and re-transmit their data to their favourite websites every time they visited. For example, a user of web-based email would have to type their username and password on visiting the email site and then re-type their username and password to retrieve each email in their inbox. Cookies also enable a computer and an online retailer to manage "shopping baskets".
Businesses use cookies to verify the identity of users engaged in online transactions, to assist in the assessment of website design and advertising, and to control the number of times a user is exposed to a particular advertisement.
User Privacy
Cookies do not distinguish individuals. Cookies only indicate the use of particular computers to access a webmaster's website. The vast majority of cookies do not record or process any personal data and do not retrieve personal data from the user. Some cookies are automatically deleted when the users' web browser is closed.
Advertising cookies may at times record IP addresses, but do not collect personal data unless the consumer actively gives data. Certain cookies actually enhance consumer privacy by recording privacy preferences when dealing with online traders.
Any information gleaned by using cookies is exclusively useful to the original website that installed the files. One webmaster's cookie cannot be read by the systems of another webmaster supporting a different website. Cookies can only be read by the server that first installed the cookie.
The European Directive on Data Protection in Electronic Communications
The European Commission published a revised version of The European Directive on Data Protection in Electronic Communications in 2000. In the first reading, the European Parliament introduced an amendment to article 5.3 of the Directive intended to ensure consumers gave prior consent to websites wishing to install cookies on users' computer terminals. This amendment would affect all cookies, regardless of whether the cookie had personal privacy implications or not.
ISPA is strongly committed to the protection of customer data, customers' rights to privacy and consumers' rights to control their own preferences in respect of whether or not they wish to receive or filter cookies.
Through EuroISPA, ISPA was heavily involved in advising European legislative bodies on the revised directive. It was important for ISPA that the final directive combined the use of cookies for legitimate online business and customer service purposes whilst at the same time protecting consumers' personally identifiable information.
ISPA and EuroISPA lobbied for the EU to continue to allow the use of cookies on condition that users and subscribers have access to clear and precise information about their use.
EuroISPA stressed that consumers should be given access to information on cookies - information that permits them to understand the purposes, benefits, and limitations of cookies. Users should also be aware of the personal preferences they can enact to filter or accept particular cookies. Users can:
· use Internet browsers which offer extensive cookie management tools such as:
§ the choice of prior consent to all cookies
§ blocking/permitting all cookies from particular sources
§ direct "one click" access to privacy policies
· delete cookies using their particular operating system's file management system
· download cookie management tools from the Internet, either for free or at a small charge.
Joe McNamee, Regulatory Affairs Manager of EuroISPA said, "Forcing consumers to give "prior consent" to every cookie merely reduces consumer choice without improving consumer protection. Many cookies do not involve the processing of personal data and therefore should not be dealt with by a directive on personal data."
An ISPA spokesperson said, "There is no proven need for specific legislation to deal with cookies. Consumers need clear and reliable information and the tools to set their own privacy preferences "
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Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact the ISPA press office.
Email: pressoffice@ispa.org.uk Tel: 020 7340 4535
The Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA UK) was established in 1995 as a trade association to represent Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the UK. ISPA promotes competition, self-regulation and the development of the Internet industry. For a list of members or other information about ISPA, please consult the website: http://www.ispa.org.uk
ISPA holds permanent membership of the Internet Watch Foundation, the Internet Crime Forum, the Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, the DfES Safety Strategy Group, EURIM, the Parliamentary IT Committee (PITCOM), the Association of Communication Service Providers, the Oftel Internet Forum, and international organisations such as EuroISPA, and the World ISP Forum.
About EuroISPA:
EuroISPA is the world's largest association of Internet Service Providers. With a Secretariat in
Brussels, EuroISPA is a major voice of the Internet industry on information society subjects such as cyber crime, data protection, e-commerce regulation, EU telecommunications law and safe use of the Internet. Information about the organization, including its composition, aims and position papers, is available from its website: http://www.euroispa.org.