Vocal Voices

Since all they new Data Protection laws came into place, various sites wot fund themselves largely through advertising have started requesting (via pop-ups) your "acceptance" of the cookies they use when you browse - or log onto - their website. Not on here, of course, we're far too refined for that sort of malarky!

As I understand it, if you "Accept" - or if you change any of the cookie preference options and then "Accept" - this is supposed to register your "requirements" and you shouldn't get asked again.

However, I'm finding I'm getting repeated requests popping up every time I visit certain websites, as if my original preferences have not been stored or saved, so maybe my understanding isn't correct.

Is this happening because I am clearing my browser history every session?
Or alternatively is it because I've set my preferences in Windows 10 not to allow "advertising" apps?

OK, it's no great hardship to keep on "Accepting", but it would be interesting to know why these pop-ups are not doing what I thought they were supposed to say on the tin.

I guess you know what I'm whiffling about, but here's a link to one such site with a GDPR pop-up. It's the local football club's website; Pitchero is a generic platform / layout which 80% of soccer and rugby clubs use.

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/gillinghamtownfc

Hi Ossie,

They store your cookie preferences in a cookie. If you clear cookies it will ask you every single time. Some of them are trying to store a different file and I reject them totally. Which means I'm being asked over and over again to do the same thing.

If it bothers you, then make sure you don't clear cookies. Also if there is a "save" request after clicking OK, you can, if you wish, save the file and it should also not ask you again.

Personally I'm not overly surprised at this. Companies will go overboard until there are a few test cases. But who wants a test case when the fines are up to €10m or 2% of Revenue, whichever is the Larger, for smaller transgressions and €20M or 4% of Revenue, whichever is the Larger.

The thing is companies and clubs did what they do, they ignored this till the last possible moment then found that they should have started 2 years ago. I know this because I am, currently, writing a control matrix for GDPR, for a rather large UK company.

If you really want to fry your brain as to what GDPR means to companies, check out the right to portability.

Thanks, Suff; yes, I'm set to clear cookies every session - I wondered if that might be the underlying reason.

It's no great hardship to keep on clicking "I accept" ……

I notice that on the bottom of our Vocal Voices pages there is a provision to "Delete all board cookies".

What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of doing this?

Aggers, this from phpBB the software VV uses:

What does the “Delete all board cookies” do?
“Delete all board cookies” deletes the cookies created by phpBB which keep you authenticated and logged into the board. Cookies also provide functions such as read tracking if they have been enabled by a board administrator. If you are having login or logout problems, deleting board cookies may help.

I do it every once in while, but it is no big deal.