European Residents And EU Cookie Compliance

Blog owners who live in Europe have a recently added regulation with which you need to comply.

If you publish a blog, and host AdSense ads, you already have part of the requirement - the properly written Cookie Advisory. If you live in Europe, and view this blog, chances are that you have been offered the chance to view the Nitecruzr.Net Privacy Policy, which includes my Cookie Advisory.

If your blog displays the Blogger Navbar, you have a compliant Cookie Advisory Banner which is provided by Blogger, in the navbar. If you have disabled the navbar - or if the blog uses a dynamic template (and has no navbar), you can add a Cookie Advisory Banner as supplied by Google Cookie Choices.

The simplest solution, for cookie advisory compliance, to display a cookie advisory, is to enable the navbar.

If you choose to leave the navbar disabled on your blog - or if your blog has no navbar because it uses a dynamic template - you will need the Google Cookie Choices Notification Bar. The Notification Bar has 2 components.

• "cookiechoices.js"
• The Cookie Choices Notification Bar code

First, download "cookiechoices.zip", unzip it, and upload "cookiechoices.js" to a Google Docs, Google Drive, or Google Sites folder.

Next, modify the Notification Bar code, to match your blog.

<script src="cookiechoices.js"></script>
<script>
 document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function(event) {
    cookieChoices.showCookieConsentBar('message for visitors',
      'close message', 'learn more', 'http://example.com');
  });
</script>

You should customise the sections of code, as appropriate for your blog.

• "cookiechoices.js" Indicate the URL of your Google Docs, Google Drive, or Google Sites file which contains the code, as uploaded.
• 'message for visitors' This provides the advice, immediately displayed in the banner.
• 'http://example.com' This provides detail advice, in a separate file.

You may, if you wish, customise the captions

• 'close message'
• 'learn more'

This lets you make your banner more relevant to your readers.

<script src="cookiechoices.js"></script>
<script>
 document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function(event) {
    cookieChoices.showCookieConsentBar('This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.',
      'Close message ...', 'Learn more ...', 'http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/p/privacy-policy.html');
  });
</script>

Having customised your Notification Bar code, use the dashboard Template "Edit HTML" wizard, and add it to your template. The current recommendation appears to be just above the "</body>" tag.

<script src="cookiechoices.js"></script>
<script>
 document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function(event) {
    cookieChoices.showCookieConsentBar('Welcome to Blogging Dot Nitecruzr Dot Net!  This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.',
      'Thanks!  I understand.', 'I'd like more information!', 'http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/p/privacy-policy.html');
  });
</script>
</body>

And Save changes.

Please, as always, backup the template - before and after adding the code.

Each blog reader, with third party cookies properly enabled, will see the Advisory Banner only once (having hit 'Thanks! I understand.'). If they have third party cookies blocked - or if they clear cookies, they will see the Banner again.

---

(Update 8/1/2015): Blogger has provided their own automatic version of CookieChoices, which requires only verification, for many blogs.

---