UK privacy chief urges G7 to scrap cookie pop-ups

The UK’S privacy watchdog has called on the world’s leading tech countries to push for a solution that stops users being bombarded by cookie pop-ups online.

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham (pictured above right) told her G7 counterparts that “no single country can tackle this issue alone”.

She added: “Together we can engage with technology firms and standards organisations to develop a co-ordinated approach to this challenge”.

Many internet users dislike having to accept cookie pop-ups every time they visit a site. Denham said this was leading to “cookie fatigue”, and that people instinctively click the boxes to accept cookies without reading the details, leading to them giving away “more personal data than they would like”.

She urged the G7 to pressure browser developers and device manufacturers to introduce settings that apply across every website. Users could then agree once to cookies, rather than do so every time they visit a site.

This would be technically possible, she said, and would “ensure people’s privacy preferences are respected” while also make browsing the web less annoying.

However, privacy campaigners Open Rights Group said the UK should take action by itself rather than “asking the G7 to do their job for them”.

Denham will soon be succeeded by John Edwards, currently New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner. News of his appointment in August came as Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden announced plans to “shake up” the UK’S data rules, including scrapping cookie pop-ups.

He said this was “one of the big prizes of leaving the EU”, though some pop-ups would remain on “high-risk” sites.

How annoying do you find cookie pop-ups? Let us know: letters@computeractive.co.uk