As an internet user and you have probably been bombarded with informatino about the EU Cookie Directive in the last weeks. This directive by the EU has to be implemented on the 26 May 2012 and governs how websites in the EU are allowed to servce Cookies, aiming at being more transparent with users about the data that is collected about them and what this is used for.
There are two kinds of cookies: first party (which is set by the website you are on – and example of this is the Google Analytics cookies) and third party (set by another website when you visit a site – for example banner ad servers).
By default most browsers allow 1st party cookies but not 3rd party cookies, although this is not always the case.
Having read about the EU Cookie Directive you might want to change your own browser settings to stop accepting cookies.
Here’s how to do this in some of the leading PC browsers.
Google Chrome
- In the top right of the browser near the address bar click on the wrench icon
- This brings up a menu from which you can select “settings”
- Click the ‘Under the Bonnet’ option on the left hand menu
- Click the content settings button on the top of the Privacy section.
- To enable cookies: select ‘Allow local data to be set’ option
- To disable cookies: select ‘Block sites from setting any data’ option
- There are more settings in Chrome about Cookies more information can be found from Google here:http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95647
Mozilla Firefox
- Click on ‘Tools’ at the browser menu and select ‘Options’
- Select the Privacy panel
- To enable cookies: Check ‘Accept cookies for sites’
- To disable cookies: Uncheck at ‘Accept cookies for sites’
- Firefox offers a number of different settings for Cookie Management and Mozilla have published information about this here: http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Enabling%20and%20disabling%20cookies
Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Select Tools at the top of your browser window which appears as a gear symbol and choose ‘Internet Options’ from the drop down menu
- Select the Privacy tab from the Internet Options Window
- To enable cookies: Set the slider to ‘Medium’ or below
- To disable cookies: Move the slider to the top to block all cookies
- Internet Explorer allows you to change how cookies are enabled. For more information on other cookie settings offered in Internet Explorer, refer to the following page from Microsoft:http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/Block-or-allow-cookies
Safari on a PC
- Click on the gear logo in the menu bar and choose the ‘Preferences’ from the drop down menu
- From the Preferences window select Privacy
- To enable cookies: In the ‘Block Cookies’ section select From Thuird Paries and advertisers’ This allows 1st party cookies to be set.
- To disable cookies: In the ‘Block Cookies’ section tick the ‘Never’ radio box
- Note there are various levels of cookie enablement and disablement in Safari. For more information on other cookie settings offered in Safari, refer to the following page from Apple: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Safari/3.0/en/9277.html
If you have a browser not listed above please use either the browser Help function or do a Google search for “blocking cookies in XX browser”.
