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September 8, 2021 01:00 pm

UK's ICO Calls For Browser-Level Controls To Fix 'Cookie Fatigue'

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: In the latest quasi-throwback toward "do not track," the UK's data protection chief has come out in favor of a browser- and/or device-level setting to allow Internet users to set "lasting" cookie preferences -- suggesting this as a fix for the barrage of consent pop-ups that continues to infest websites in the region. European web users digesting this development in an otherwise monotonously unchanging regulatory saga, should be forgiven -- not only for any sense of deja vu they may experience -- but also for wondering if they haven't been mocked/gaslit quite enough already where cookie consent is concerned. Last month, UK digital minister Oliver Dowden took aim at what he dubbed an "endless" parade of cookie pop-ups -- suggesting the government is eyeing watering down consent requirements around web tracking as ministers consider how to diverge from European Union data protection standards, post-Brexit. (He's slated to present the full sweep of the government's data 'reform' plans later this month so watch this space.) Today the UK's outgoing information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, stepped into the fray to urge her counterparts in G7 countries to knock heads together and coalesce around the idea of letting web users express generic privacy preferences at the browser/app/device level, rather than having to do it through pop-ups every time they visit a website. In a statement announcing "an idea" she will present this week during a virtual meeting of fellow G7 data protection and privacy authorities -- less pithily described in the press release as being "on how to improve the current cookie consent mechanism, making web browsing smoother and more business friendly while better protecting personal data" -- Denham said: "I often hear people say they are tired of having to engage with so many cookie pop-ups. That fatigue is leading to people giving more personal data than they would like. The cookie mechanism is also far from ideal for businesses and other organizations running websites, as it is costly and it can lead to poor user experience. While I expect businesses to comply with current laws, my office is encouraging international collaboration to bring practical solutions in this area. There are nearly two billion websites out there taking account of the world's privacy preferences. No single country can tackle this issue alone. That is why I am calling on my G7 colleagues to use our convening power. Together we can engage with technology firms and standards organizations to develop a coordinated approach to this challenge," she added.

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