Re: [Webware-discuss] Europe Goes After the Cookie

[Edmund L. <el...@in...>]

Paul Boddie wrote:

>>Clearly, there's some education about cookies required in the inner
circles of
the European Union's bureaucracy, but given the lack of convenient control
over
cookie handling given to users of some of the more popular browsers,
combined
with the nature of the groups lobbying against further restrictions, it's
not
exactly surprising that the EU is considering a directive. I believe
there's
already been legislation passed in the UK concerning the usage of cookies
with
respect to privacy and data protection.<<

The situation is actually more pressing would meet the eye. I've come
across situations in the US government where cookies are absolutely not
allowed as a result of individual or collective department/agency policy.
So, it's very possible to have cookies forbidden by governments even if a
law to this effect is has not been passed.

No amount of education over cookies helps in this situation. Policies are
made to avoid the appearance, however unwarrented, of intruding into
privacy. The problem, in the case of the US government, is one of avoiding
the appearance of "Big Brother." The individual administrators understand
the cookie issue, but since the population at large does not, they don't
want to stick their heads out on this issue.

...Edmund.