I had an email from a friend recently which said they’d heard that retargeting was about to be made illegal in the EU. Does anyone know if there is any substance to this? She is concerned because she has just signed up for retargeting.
What exactly do you mean by “retargeting”?
Mike
This article explains it quite well.
As an online shopper, I so hope it gets banned as it drives me nuts.
OK, I understand your question now.
First, “retargeting” is not about to made illegal. What your friend is probably thinking of is the EU “cookie law”. This says that, if a website uses certain types of cookies, it must notify the visitor of the fact and get their approval. If the visitor declines to give approval, the site is not allowed to place the cookie.
The “certain types” of cookies include those used by ad networks to track visitors so that they can better target their ads. This is no doubt what your friend had in mind.
Exactly how the new law will be implemented is completely uncertain at present. It’s due to come into force in a few weeks time, and it’s up to individual states to issue guidance about how it will be enforced. There’s been a lot of discussion on the subject, so I won’t repeat the arguments for or against, but if your friend has a website that contains the type of ads I am talking about, they will need definitely need to look into it.
Mike
Thanks Mike, So it isn’t the retargeting as such that is the problem but the use of cookies. I guess the next few weeks should be interesting then 