With the deadline for compliance with the EU e-Privacy Directive just two days away, we've rounded up some of the key stats in an infographic.
This embeddable infographic looks at marketers' and consumers' views of the EU cookie law, and our five-step plan for compliance.
This is a topic we've covered in detail, so I've also rounded up some of our recent articles and other resources on the EU cookie law.
![EU Cookie Law: The conundrum in numbers [Infographic]](http://assets.econsultancy.com/images/resized/0001/9151/econsultancy-eu-cookie-infographic-600-final-blog-full.jpg)
(Just to clarify, only the 69% of respondents that knew what a cookie was were asked if they regularly manage cookies using browser settings. You can download the full survey for more details).
To add this infographic to your own site you can copy and paste this embed code:
<a href="http://econsultancy.com/eucookielaw"><img src="http://assets.econsultancy.com/images/resized/0001/9151/econsultancy-eu-cookie-infographic-600-final-blog-full.jpg" alt="EU Cookie Law: The conundrum in numbers [Infographic]" width="600" height="yyyy" /></a>
Experts' views on the Directive
Interviews and expert opinion on the e-Privacy Directive, some in favour, some very much opposed to the law.
Is it possible to comply with the cookie law without harming your business?
Ask the experts: 'Will you be complying with the EU cookie law?'
Q&A: Foolproof's Meriel Lenfestey on the EU cookie law
Q&A: LBI's Manley on preparing for the EU cookie directive
EU e-Privacy Directive: don't call it a cookie law
How will the EU cookie law affect mobile marketing?
Econsultancy's take on the cookie law
Two posts by Econsultancy CEO Ashley Friedlein which analyse the ICO guidance document and explain the approach we've taken...
Cookie compliance: Econsultancy analyses the latest ICO guidance
Econsultancy’s solution to EU e-Privacy Directive compliance
EU cookie law stats
Our own surveys of marketers and consumers, as well as third party stats...
82% of digital marketers think the EU cookie law is bad for the web
Just 23% of web users would say yes to cookies
34% of retailers plan to use compulsory pop-ups for cookie opt-in
ICO follows ICO's rules, cookie usage drops by 90%
89% of UK consumers think the EU cookie law is a positive step, but is it?
Only 24% of online consumers are aware of EU cookie law
The ICO view
We interviewed the ICO to allow them to explain their approach to enforcement of the directive.
Q&A: The ICO's Dave Evans on EU cookie law compliance
EU cookie law: ICO to contact 50 UK websites about compliance
Compliance methods
Some examples of sites which have set their consent methods loose.
Reader comments (17)
1:18PM on 24th May 2012
So 69% of consumers know what a cookie is.
But 73% of consumers regularly manage cookies in their browser?
More people manage them then know what they are?
Is there something I've missed, because at first that doesn't make much sense.
Editor at Econsultancy
1:28PM on 24th May 2012
@Jonathan 73% of consumers that know what a cookie is regularly manage them via browsers.
1:30PM on 24th May 2012
Good spot by JonathanEx, any clarity on this?
1:30PM on 24th May 2012
Cheers
1:31PM on 24th May 2012
I'm seeing a lot of sites with a pop up window to ask for permission to use cookies. Surely this won't be a great user experience, because if the website visitor clicks 'no', then they'll be faced with that pop up every time they go to the site?
1:49PM on 24th May 2012
My guess is that the 1,500 participants in your survey came from your own mailing lists and thus the above is not indicative of your average consumer.
I don't think I am alone in believing that nowhere near 73% of the population even know, never mind actively manage their cookies via a web browser.
European Web Analytics Specialist at Canon Europe
1:54PM on 24th May 2012
Come on Econsultancy, this post is naff naff naff
Editor at Econsultancy
1:56PM on 24th May 2012
@Gavin - the survey was carried out online using the Toluna tool, so it is a slightly more tech-savvy sample. They are not from Econsultancy's mailing lists though.
73% of consumers that know what a cookie is (i.e. the 69%) regularly manage them via browsers.
You can download the full survey free here: http://econsultancy.com/uk/reports/eu-eprivacy-directive-survey
5:32PM on 24th May 2012
Great article, like always! I am very much impressed with your work..
8:00PM on 24th May 2012
I find econsultancy's stance on this issue incredibly irresponsible given how many visitors they must have and how they are an authority on these issues.
"Under the law website owners will be forced to provide better guidance" - this is a little bit of misdirection to suit what it wants to do regarding cookies on it's own site. Under the law website owners will be forced to gain consent before it plants a cookie.
It's not the best or most well thought out law, but at least report on it properly.
11:24PM on 24th May 2012
What I would like is the java script code to do the same as The Mirror!
8:25AM on 25th May 2012
Useful stats - but more surveys of a wider consumer audience would be useful
Editor at Econsultancy
10:05AM on 25th May 2012
@Zbizz You'll find plenty of detail on what the directive does and doesn't say in other posts and our compliance guide.
It simply isn't possible to sum up the directive in a sentence or two at the bottom of the infographic, and there is nothing factually incorrect about that statement, as companies are forced to provide more guidance about the information they collect from visitors.
If you read the guidance and statements from the ICO, which is enforcing the directive in the UK, it isn't clear that consent is required for every cookie.
Author, CEO & Web Metrics Strategist at Advanced Web Metrics
12:57PM on 25th May 2012
I wish you guys would stop calling this a "cookie law" - its a privacy law and is technology agnostic. For example, if you set no cookies on your website but use Flash Shared Objects as a way of storing information, this law still applies to you.
Therefore when auditing your website, audit it for privacy compliance, not cookies...!
Director of Product Development at Econsultancy
1:44PM on 25th May 2012
Hey Brian,
You're totally right, though we're just trying to talk the same language as the people looking for information on this subject: http://www.google.co.uk/trends/?q=cookie+law,+privacy+law,+eu+privacy+directive&ctab=0&geo=all&date=ytd&sort=0
Most of us refer to it as the 'cookie law' at this end too.
But I'll say it again: you're 100% right!
Cheers,
c.
12:22AM on 26th May 2012
Cheers for the clarification on the stat, that makes more sense now!
2:42PM on 26th May 2012
It's good to read the news that the government seems now to be supporting an 'implied consent' approach.
However, as I described in a post entitled "Why I Welcome the Government’s Business-Friendly Approach to Cookies" although this news should be welcomed by organisations providing Web site, there is still a need to address legitimate concerns regarding online privacy. This would appear to be the emerging Do Not Track Standard.
See http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/why-i-welcome-the-governments-business-friendly-approach-to-cookies/
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