Internet
Explorer 9.05
Firefox
10.0.2
Chrome
17.0.963
The
common features amongst the latest versions of browsers are
- Block all cookies
- Block third party cookies
- Allow exceptions
However
the different ways of implementing the controls will make it difficult for a
web site owner to give instructions on how to handle consent for cookies.
Ideally a
web user needs a more flexible approach to controlling cookies than the blanket
controls based on options of either ignoring all cookies, ignoring 3rd party
cookies or accept all cookies. The browsers above do offer some additional
features of which, the exceptions option is probably the most important in
where a blanket ban on cookies can be overridden on selected web sites. A good
feature that a lot of browsers are now implementing is allowing session
variables which are typically associated with the management of web
applications but only exists for the duration of the visit. An additional handy
feature is the ability of some browsers to delete all cookies as it exits, thus
turning all the cookies into session cookies.
The ability to accept only
session cookies or turn all cookies into session cookies by forcing the
deletion of them is of fundamentally important with a modern dynamic web
application where session management cookies allow the web site to function as
the user expects it to. With the new regulation a lot of web sites are being
forced to offer two alternatives, consent to cookies or block all cookies as
they can't rely on user’s configuring the browser settings. In fact assuming
consent has been given as the browser accepts cookies has been specially ruled
out and it is written a site must get consent before writing a cookie to the
client browser.
A user of a web site is now being
forced into either accepting all cookies as they want the functionality of the
web application, or block the functionality of the web site as they don't want
the functionality of some of the cookies. Although the regulations say consent
for strictly necessary cookies is not required, the cookie specification and
browser support are insufficient to allow acceptance of strictly necessary
cookies and block all other cookies, unless the web site uses session only
cookies for the strictly necessary functionality and uses non-session cookies
for all uses and even then the browsers will need to be correctly set.
This series of blogs will end
with a look at the possible options on meeting the regulations and suggestions
on a way forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment