Abolish the EU Cookie Compliance Law now that the UK has left the EU
Now that the UK has left the EU I would like the government to abolish the EU cookie compliance law so that UK users do not have to “accept” or “reject” the use of cookies for every website they visit.
Since the UK voted to leave the EU the UK should not be bound to the ridiculous EU cookie compliance legislation. Virtually every public website prompts users to either accept or reject cookies when first visiting. This state of this decision itself usually uses some form of cookie. However with the option of private sessions in most modern web browser this decision is often not saved and users will be alerted to this notice every time they visit the site. This is time consuming and a nuisance.
Background
Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive 2002/58/EC on Privacy and Electronic Communications, otherwise known as ePrivacy Directive (ePD), is an EU directive on data protection and privacy in the digital age. It presents a continuation of earlier efforts, most directly the Data Protection Directive. It deals with the regulation of a number of important issues such as confidentiality of information, treatment of traffic data, spam and cookies. This Directive has been amended by Directive 2009/136, which introduces several changes, especially in what concerns cookies, that are now subject to prior consent.
EU cookie consent banners are pop-ups or notifications on websites asking whether users will accept browser cookies. The ePrivacy Directive requires websites to get explicit consent from users before storing cookies on their devices. Despite their intended privacy benefits, cookie consent banners are widely regarded as a nuisance. Users are constantly bombarded with these banners on almost every website they visit, disrupting their browsing experience. Europeans collectively lose approximately 575 million hours each year clicking through cookie consent banners mandated by EU law.
Global Reach
The law currently applies to anyone accessing a website from within the EU. European authorities have issued large fines to major US-based tech companies, such as Google and Meta, for ePrivacy violations. It applies to all US websites that:
- Offer goods or services: A US-based e-commerce site selling products to customers in an EU country must comply with the directive.
- Targeted advertising and tracking: If a website uses cookies or similar technologies to monitor the online behaviour of EU visitors, it falls under the directive’s scope.
- Collecting personal data: When a user’s personal data is collected via cookies, sign-up forms, or other tracking methods, compliance is required.
US websites (using cookies) with EU based visitors must:
- Get prior consent: Obtain clear, explicit consent from users before activating non-essential cookies on their devices.
- Provide clear information: Inform users about the purpose of any cookies used. This is often done via a cookie banner and a detailed cookie policy.
- Enable easy refusal: Offer users a simple way to refuse cookies that is as easy as accepting them.
- Offer website access: Allow users to access the website’s services even if they opt out of certain cookies.
- Handle direct marketing: Obtain prior consent before sending electronic marketing communications to EU users, with some exceptions for existing customers.
Fines can be severe, reaching up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s total annual worldwide turnover, whichever is greater.Approximately 40% of all websites globally use cookies, according to data from W3Techs in September 2025.
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