You probably noticed it for the first time several years ago. You were trying to visit some website or online article–but before you could read or do anything else, there was suddenly a pop-up window or banner blocking you.
And the message wasn’t trying to sell you anything. It was simply about “cookies”. Most followed some version of the following– ”this site uses cookies, and I hope you’re ok with that.” They often didn’t say more than that. Just that this website relies on cookies and they thought you should know. Don’t like it or understand what they’re talking about? Well, too bad.
I guess you could always turn and run, but then you wouldn’t get to read or find whatever it was you were looking for. As they advanced in technology, these “cookie compliance” banners or “cookie walls” have become a little more useful. Now they may include a lot more info, such as a list of the different types of cookies being used, and what they are for. Even better, they often now give you the option to say “no, I don’t want your cookie” (aka, don’t track what I do).
But where the heck did these come from and why did it seemingly start out of the blue? We never got asked this before. Ever wonder why everyone started asking you to “approve” their use of cookies on websites? And perhaps equally important, should you be doing this on your own websites? Let’s take a run through the cookie madness.