By Heather McLean, 13 November 2001 18:00
NEWS The new media industry is up in arms this afternoon following a European Parliament vote to ban the unauthorised downloading of cookies onto surfers' PCs. If the proposed amendment to the draft directive on electronic data collection and privacy goes through, all website owners will have to get the permission of visitors to their sites before installing cookies on their machines. Danny Meadows Klue, chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), said: "Cookies form the fundamental transmission mechanic that powers the internet. A change in law will restrict and frustrate people using the internet." However, David Gearhart, director of business strategy EMEA at CRM company Epiphany, disagreed with Meadows Klue. He said: "Getting rid of cookies would make companies finally understand that they really need to know their customers, not just rely on cookies." He added: "Companies would be forced to listen to customers and would have to work on tailoring their offerings to them." Meadows Klue said it will be harder for people to use the web and do simple things like search for information. He also claimed sites will have to be rebuilt to compensate for a lack of cookies. The IAB has its fingers crossed that the European Commission and national experts in the council Working Group will scrap the amendment before the draft directive goes before the European Parliament for a second reading.
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