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Cookies

13 Jun 2012

No, not what we on this side of the Atlantic call biscuits, but the web technology concept, which recently has caused some problems for websites in the EU, due to the latest blessed directive...

You will find that a lot of websites these days have suddenly acquired annoying boxes for you to click in order to show that you accept the use of cookies. These are a little piece of data which a website may place on your computer, in order to recognise you and your preferences when you re-visit the site, and even to keep track of where you are while on the site (in particular, if you are logged in to a commercial site, for example).

The problem is that some cookies can be used by third parties - i.e., not the owner of the site that places the cookie - to build up a picture of your overall surfing, in order to serve you with "better" advertisements. Of course, the Commission had to wade in here and make new regulations - and equally naturally, without consulting anybody who actually knows about cookies.

The result is that even the most innocuous cookie usage is now subject to regulation, which if restricted to just third-party cookies would have saved a lot of developers a lot of trouble, while achieving the intended aim.

Oh well. Suffice to say that the main bdkr.com site does not use cookies, but the Wiki does and there is little I can do about it, as it is standard software. However, rest assured that it collects no personal information and the cookies are only used for necessary navigational assistance in the Wiki. They are also "session cookies", meaning they disappear as soon as you close the browser.

E-mail me if you would like more information!

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