Ban Cookie Banners
Do you know what a Cookie Banner is?
It is that irritating message that pops up when you first visit a website, asking if you consent to have cookies stored in your browser. They are annoying but that is not why I want to rid the world of them.
If you are blind and use a screen reader to visit websites, a cookie banner can make your life much difficult and, in some cases, can prevent you actually getting into the website at all.
This is why I want to rid the world of them but I need your help. Last Friday (17th December 2021), the UK Government approved my petition for a minor change in the law that will allow every website in the UK to get rid of their cookie banner and make the world a much more accessible place!
The video you are about to watch is genuine
If you are not convinced, check out this video. I visited the Information Commissioner Office website using a screen reader and filmed the experience on my phone. By the time you reach the end of the video, you will have reached a link that will allow you to actually visit the home page and understand what is on it. Up until this point, you do not even know which website you are on. I challenge you to watch this video through to the end and perhaps then you will want to sign the petition, which you can do by following this link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/603597
This is not about me blaming the Information Commissioner's Office, they are just following the guidelines. It is the guidelines that need to change.
For the benefit of the visually impaired, the text on the video frame reads:
If you have a visual impairment, you will most likely use a screen reader when visiting a website.
This is what happens when you visit the Information Commissioner’s Office website when using a screen reader.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible, amongst other things, for the implementation and enforcement of what is colloquially known as the Cookie Law, in the UK. Many other websites have implemented a Cookie Banner in the same way that the ICO has, working on the assumption that the ICO's website would be a good example of best practice.
I am not asking for the moon. All I want is a tweak to the Guidelines, putting them back to how they were a few years ago. Just doing this will remove the need for Cookie Banners altogether but it can only happen with your help. Please follow this link sign my petition today: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/603597
We can change the world
If you do not live in the UK, please write to your own Government and ask for a similar change in their legislation. This is not about data privacy. Data privacy is important but this is far more important. It is about making the World Web Web more accessible for disabled people everywhere.
How often have you been able to change the world by such a simple act as signing a petition?
The fire has been lit, we now need to fan the flames.
By doing this, we can truly Change the World, One Website at a Time.
Thank you
Clive Loseby
Access by Design
#bancookiebanners
