Google AdSense publishers now have to get EU customer consent earlier than gathering knowledge – TechCrunch
Google has announced a change to its user consent policy that will affect website publishers who use Google products and services, including Google AdSense, DoubleClick for Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange, and whose websites or apps have visitors from the European Union . According to the new directive, publishers will have to get EU end-user consent before they can store or access their data, Google says.
The change, which is a direct response to EU cookie compliance rules, follows the launch of the Google-published website called CookieChoices, which was discovered earlier this month. This website was created with the intent to help digital publishers get tools and access other resources that will assist them in their commitment to get user consent, Google said at the time.
These tools include code that website publishers can use to notify visitors of their cookies, as well as those that can be used to obtain consent directly, such as splash screens, notification bars, or one-time pop-up notifications that can be used on mobile apps .
Jason Woloz, Google’s Security & Privacy Program Manager, Display and Video Ads, in a brief announcement released today: “It has always been Google’s policy to comply with data protection laws, so we’ve agreed to make certain changes to our own products and partners who use Google products. “
For years, EU regulators have been pushing for a variety of user protection measures when it comes to how data and information from web users is tracked and made available online. One of the more debated judgments in recent months relates to the so-called “right to be forgotten”, which legally stipulates that search engines like Google process requests from individuals in order to remove inaccurate, outdated and irrelevant data from the list.
In the meantime, there have been regulations for cookie-related data collection in the EU for some time. What’s noteworthy, however, is that Google is applying this to its own services while also urging publishers to comply with the updated policy by September 30, 2015, according to an email about the change. In addition, this policy also affects those with iOS or Android applications that must display a message to app users when they first launch them.
While the EU’s Cookie Directive previously applied to websites based in the EU, Google’s policy change affects a number of publishers as any website on the web could potentially have EU-based traffic.
However, the effectiveness of cookie-related notifications for user consent is questionable. According to a late 2014 study on the subject, the EU’s cookie notification directive has cost billions of euros per year in compliance costs for websites, but has brought few benefits to web users. This means that previous implementations have not changed user behavior, according to the report.
Unfortunately, Google can’t offer a consent message for publishers to use because a website or app’s consent message should be “will depend largely on your own use of cookies and other information, as well as the third-party services you work with,” says Google. However, it does provide pointers on the Cookie Choices website to help publishers get started.
Google’s post also points to other resources beyond cookie selection, including an FAQ in Help that provides answers to questions from publishers such as: For example, which products are affected, how to determine if a current policy is compliant, how the changes will affect mobile websites, and more.
Here, Google also states that the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, an umbrella body that includes representatives from all EU data protection authorities, has requested a change in the way website publishers obtain consent from end users. Google says it understands that “these principles are being applied across the industry,” which is why it is making the change now.
