EU cookie law is bad for the web says 82% of digital marketers

London, UK? 82% of digital marketers think the EU cookie law is ?bad? for the web according a recent poll undertaken by Econsultancy, publisher of digital marketing and e-commerce best practice and insight.

Econsultancy asked more than 700 marketers for their opinions on the EU e-Privacy Directive, and to find out what preparations have been made for the May 26 deadline for compliance. The Directive makes it compulsory for web users to consent for a website to use or store cookies.

Just 18% of respondents think the directive is a positive development for the web. One respondent said: ?While I'm all for protecting privacy, the bit of this directive that applies to cookies has been ill thought out and even more badly applied, by someone who doesn't understand the technology. Rather than try and analyse what cookies are actually intrusive, they've just 'banned' the lot! The lack of advice or guidance from the EU or Government has made things worse?.

Another respondent wrote: ?There's total confusion on how to apply it and what it should be applied. There are a few nice implementations, nothing which everyone agrees on which means a disjointed user experience from site to site?.

57% of respondents have read the e-Privacy Directive, while 67% say they are aware of the 26 May UK deadline. The guidance from the ICO has left marketers unsure of how to tackle the change and was described by one respondent as "fluffy at best and sometimes contradictory?.

54% of respondents said their companies have carried out a cookie audit in preparation for the deadline.

Respondents voiced a lack of consumer awareness of what cookies are and what they mean around the EU Cookie law. Only 7% think that users will understand what cookies are.

Econsultancy CEO Ashley Friedlein said ?We created this poll to gauge industry sentiment and understanding of the EU cookie law. A surprisingly high percentage of respondents know about the Directive, have read it, read the ICO guidance and done a cookie audit. Despite this, almost everyone thinks it lacks focus and web users don't care about cookies and won't understand the changes. The feeling is there is not enough clarity on what cookies are 'strictly necessary' and much less clarity on *how to implement* consent/opt-in.?

The full EU e-Privacy Directive survey report is available for free at http://econsultancy.com/reports/eu-eprivacy-directive-survey

Econsultancy is currently helping a number of European companies navigate the road to compliance. Contact us on consultancy @ econsultancy.com if you'd like some help.                                   

 - Ends -

Media contacts:
Natalie Evans
EMEA Marketing Manager
Tel. +44 20 7269 5083
natalie.evans [@] econsultancy.com

About Econsultancy
Econsultancy is a community where the world's digital marketing and e-commerce professionals meet to sharpen their strategy, source suppliers, get quick answers, compare notes, help each other out and discover how to do everything better online. It was launched in 1999 and since then has grown to a dominant position in the digital marketing industry with more than 110,000 members worldwide. Its website and blog attracts more than 300,000 unique users per month and its range of training courses and conferences are attended by more than 5,000 marketers every year.

Econsultancy?s 110,000 members make better decisions, build business cases, find the best suppliers, look smart in meetings and accelerate their careers. Find out more at http://econsultancy.com

For more information, visit http://econsultancy.com or follow @econsultancy on Twitter