CNBC has reported that the UK government is seeking to move away from the European Union’s data protection rules surrounding cookie notifications. You’ve probably noticed a drastic rise of banners asking you to allow cookies on websites you visit – British politicians have and now it seems like they’re a bit tired of pressing “allow”.
To help users maintain their sanity, the UK is proposing a framework in which people would have to explicitly opt-out of cookies if they didn’t like them. This would make visiting websites more seamless for those who don’t care about allowing cookies. While the move sounds great for those who hate pop-ups, it could cause some headaches.
Right now, data can flow freely between the UK and EU because they share similar rules over data protection. If the UK moves too far away from the EU’s regime it could put this free flow of information at risk. A UK government official played down these fears by saying:
“EU adequacy decisions do not require countries to have the same rules. Our view is that these reforms are fully compatible with maintaining the free flow of personal data from Europe.”
It’s unclear how long it will take the UK to change its rules around cookies and how much of an impact it will have on websites. If you hate cookie pop-ups, there’s always the option of installing the I Don’t Care About Cookies add-on which will banish most of these pop-ups.