Google released the CookieChoices website, and some useful tools which some blog owners used, to add a cookie notice banner, to their blogs.
In July 2015, Blogger added a cookie notice banner, to save blog owners the trouble of using the CookieChoices website tools.
The Blogger version of CookieChoices is - or could be - transparent to most Blogger blog owners.
European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.
As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies.
You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.
Not all blog owners really understand the cookie advice notice.
This notice, and the Blogger cookie advice banner, goes a long way towards making the CookieChoices cookie advice banner transparently operational, on Blogger blogs.
Even so, the Blogger advice still confuses some blog owners.
You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays.
Not all blog owners are sure what that phrase means, nor how to comply with its advice.
Verifying the cookie notice banner - for standard Blogger blogs - is not difficult. If your blog can be successfully verified, your blog is compliant.
EU residents will see the notice, when they first view a blog.
Residents of EU countries will see the notice when looking at any compliant blog or website, the first time that they view that blog or website. Similarly, owners of Blogger blogs, who live in a EU country, will see the notice automatically, the first time they look at their blog.
People who do not live in the EU will have to take other measures, to verify that the notice is active, on their blogs. Verification is not difficult - though there are two techniques - and both techniques won't work, for all blogs.
- Verify a blog, published to BlogSpot. Most of you will publish as "xxxxxxx.blogspot.com".
- Verify a blog, published to a custom domain. This blog, for instance, is published as "blogging.nitecruzr.net".
Verify your blog, depending upon how it's published.
Verifying a BlogSpot published blog
Thanks to the Blogger country code alias redirection, a Blogger blog owner who publishes to BlogSpot can verify their blog, by viewing an alias that's relevant for any EU country.
I'll use my test mirror of this blog, Blogger Status For Real - BlogSpot, as an example.
If you view "Blogger Status For Real - BlogSpot" in the USA, you will see it using the URL of "blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.com". In Ireland, however, you will see "blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.ie" - and many (but not all) world countries are similarly aliased. Read here for an explanation why Blogger uses aliases.
Since Ireland is part of the European Union, their residents need to see the cookie notice.
- http://blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.com (native)
- http://blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.de (Germany)
- http://blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.fr (France)
- http://blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.ie (Ireland)
- http://blogger-status-for-real.blogspot.it (Italy)
You can click on the above 5 alias links, and compare the differences.
My test blog, in native view. See the absence of the cookie notice?
My test blog, as seen in Ireland (".ie"). See the cookie notice, at the top?
This is how simple it is, to verify compliance, with a BlogSpot published Blogger blog.
Verifying a custom domain published blog
Owners of custom domain published blogs will use a different approach. Custom domains do not use country code aliases - so custom domain compliance verification can't, either. In this case, you will need a proxy server based in a EU country, to simulate viewing in an EU country.
Blogger Engineering suggests use of GeoPeeker, which is a multi-proxy service which randomly shows you any blog or website, using a set of 6 proxy sites out of a 12 proxy pool. Generally 1 of the 6 proxies, provided in the free GeoPeeker service, will be located in a EU country.
- Singapore
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Virginia, United States
- California, United States
- Dublin, Ireland
- Sydney, Australia
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Noida, India
- Karlskrona, Sweden
- London, United Kingdom
- Tokyo, Japan
- Halifax, Canada
Of the above list, you could use either Dublin (Ireland), Frankfurt (Germany), Karlskrona (Sweden), or London (UK) to view your blog and verify cookie compliance. This list may change, periodically. The free version of GeoPeeker gives you a view of your blog, using a random 6 of the above 12, automatically.
This blog, seen in thumbnail view, with 6 of the GeoPeeker proxies.
You can click on each thumbnail, to see the blog in full size.
This blog, seen by the GeoPeeker Dublin, Ireland proxy. See the cookie notice, at the top?
Just use either technique, as applicable to your blog. View your blog, and see that it displays the cookie choice notice.
If your blog displays the notice, it is compliant - so get back to work. If it does not display the notice, more work will be needed. Right now, we'll address the latter, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.
Once you know that the basic banner is operational, spend time researching additional possibilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment