Protests At Cookie Cutting Proposals
ISBA and the IPA are both lobbying the UK’s e-commerce minister Douglas Alexander, while the Internet Advertising Bureau has launched a “Save Our Cookies” campaign in response to EU proposals on internet “cookies” which the organisations believe could severely damage the fledgling e-commerce industry.
The proposal has been laid down in an amendment to the EU Telecoms Privacy Directive by Dutch MEP Wim van Welzen. If accepted, one clause of the amendment would mean that explicit permission would have to be gained from website visitors before a cookie could be used, which the IAB believes could cause UK businesses to lose a collective £187m in annual revenue were it to go through.
The organisations, representing the interests of UK advertisers, believe that the function of cookies is misunderstood, pointing out that they make websites easier, speedier and more user-friendly. ISBA’s director of public affairs wrote in his letter to Alexander that cookies were of fundamental to ecommerce, explaining: “There are few people able to remember all their website passwords. Cookies are the means by which we are able to log on without re-registering on each occasion. Cookies also support the cost of new media via our members advertising; cookies enable us to measure the effectiveness of online advertising, as well as provide the means to rotate copy to avoid users seeing the same one each time. Without advertising access to the internet would depend far more on the users willingness to pay.”
The IPA pointed out that without cookies as a means to target audiences, “online advertising is likely to be largely redundant”, adding that cookies are anonymous and that their use already complies with the Data Protection legislation. The IPA also expressed concern that the cost to online publishers of making alterations to sites, were the legislation to be passed, could lead to site closures which in turn would narrow consumer choice.
Alan McCulloch, chairman of the IPA’s Digital Marketing Group said: “While it’s important for consumer’s privacy to be protected, this legislation is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
The proposed directive was published in July this year and is expected to be discussed at the next Telecommunications Council meeting on 6 and 7 December. Other online media owners across Europe are understood to be lobbying their own governments on the issue.
Internet Advertising Bureau: 020 8683 9667 www.iabuk.net IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk ISBA: 020 7499 7502 www.isba.org.uk
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