A proposed European legal move to regulate the use of cookies could have a profound negative impact upon the some of the world’s biggest businesses, experts have warned.

In a move that threatens affiliate marketing, bid management and web analytics, proposed amendments to the 2002 European Communities Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications would mean that in future, websites would only be able to place cookies on visitors’ computers if they give their express consent.

“This is a proposal that would strike at the very heart of what the digital economy is all about,” said Andrew Girdwood, Head of Search at bigmouthmedia.

“The ability to measure, track and improve the site experience for visitors is key to the success of e-commerce, and given the potentially damaging effect this could have on a multi-billion pound business channel, suggests legislators don’t quite appreciate the havoc they could cause,”

He added, “This isn’t really a privacy issue. More often than not, cookies only contain data to measure the success of keywords or affiliates.

“We support attempts to raise awareness of privacy issues and provide internet users with more control but believe these functions would be better provided by the browser than the website. This would give users even greater flexibility and more consistancy.”
Many areas of the digital marketing business could be seriously affected if the proposed legislative changes come into effect, claims bigmouthmedia, with big names from Amazon to Google likely to be hit.

Services dependent on using user data to track sales such as affiliate marketing would suffer significantly, while pay-per-click advertising services would be forced to ask permission to place a cookie every time a user attempted to follow a link.

If the amendments go through, commercial web sites may be forced to run multi million pound search campaigns without having a detailed understanding of how well the strategy is performing. Most modern forms of web analytics, meanwhile, would also be threatened by the European proposal.

The experience of visiting commercial websites could also be badly affected. Sites may be forced to display a pop-up message – commonly associated with invasive advertising – in order to seek the visitor’s permission before any tracking could be used.

Over all, the loss in transactions combined with the cost of implementation would stretch to many millions of Euros in lost revenue each month for online retailers, travel and finance sites.

For full details of the proposed legislative change and its possible ramifications click here

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On May 6^th,  pressure from EU citizens has meant that the Directives that attempted to privatize the Internet were not passed in the vote in the European Parliament. This Autumn the Package will be negotiated again.

IN THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS ON JUNE 6TH DO NOT VOTE FOR THE PARTIES WHICH WANT TO GIFT OUR RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE INTERNET TO PRIVATE INTERESTS.

After monitoring the votes of the Members of the European Parliament in the vote of the so called “Telecoms Package” (explained below) and which is now a “fundamental Basic Right” that we (the citizens) will remember the parties that voted against it, both Parties of Government and the Opposition equally, that they were willing to gift our right to a free and egalitarian communication through the Internet to private multinationals corporations.

Citizens can remember and check it in this graphic where they can find the vote of all the  Members of the Parliament in the Telcoms’ Package vote (100% is the vote more favorable, 0% to private lobbies)

Internet access is not conditional

Everyone who owns a website has an interest in defending the free use of Internet… so has everyone who uses Google or Skype… everyone who expresses their opinions freely, does research of any kind, whether for personal health problems or academic study … everyone who shops online…who dates online…socializes online… listens to music…watches video…

INDEX

1- WHAT THEY WANT TO ENFORCE
2- CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL OF US
3- OUR VOTES
4- HOW OUR POLITICIANS ACT

WHAT THEY WANT TO ENFORCE

The internet as we know it is at risk. The new rules in the EU (the Telecoms package) voted on May 6 and will be negotiated again in Autumn propose that broadband providers will be legally able to limit the number of websites you can look at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services. It will be dressed up as ‘new consumer options’ which people can choose from. People will be offered TV-like packages – with a limited number of options for you to access. It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don’t fit with the way we use it today.

It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don’t fit with the way we use it today.
This is because Internet is now permitting exchanges between persons which cannot be controlled or “facilitated” by any middlemen (the State or a corporation). This possibility improves citizen’s life and makes access to knowledge easier to everyone, but force the industry (telecommunications, entertainment…) to lose power and control. Access providers have now learned that controlling access they can control the Information Society development. That is why they are pushing to act those changes.
The excuse is to promote competition, offering choices to users which better fit their behavior on the Internet and, by collaborating with sectors interested in the promotion of lawful content (aka the entertainment industry), to control the flow of music, films and entertainment content against the alleged piracy by downloading for free, using P2P file-sharing. However, the real victims of this plan will be all Internet users and the democratic and independent access to information, culture goods.

For further information, go to http://blackouteurope.eu/