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Mmm, cookies

You may have noticed an annoying white box at the top of the screen (unless you’re using a feed reader). What’s that all about?

Today a new EU Directive came into effect. It’s called the EU Cookie Directive or, to give it its official name, 2009/136/ec. What this means is that any website in the EU needs to obtain permission from its users before using cookies.

Cookies are just small files that are stored on your computer that allows websites to remember stuff between visits. They remember preferences, things that make your visit easier and more pleasurable, and can be used to record anonymous analytics (which pages are popular, where people find the site from, etc).

WandleSoftware.com needs the following cookies:

  • Cookies required for the proper operation of the WordPress CMS
  • Cookies required for the proper operation of Google Analytics

Apparently for UK-based sites, this may have recently changed to requiring “implied consent.” It seems to me that if the directive passes various legal appeals in Brussels then the UK will have to take the common meaning and revert to active consent. Partly because of that and partly because I want to be absolutely transparent about what I’m doing, I have added a confirmation when you first visit the site. Hopefully it won’t get in the way.