Today when viewing this forum I see a pop-up which I've never seen before. I've attached a screenshot of it. It says that by visiting this forum, my personal data will be shared with "136 TCF vendors and "66 ad partners". I'm not even sure what a "TCF vendor" is. Does anyone know? Looking through the list, there are very few names I recognise. Fortunately, there is a cross in the top right to close the pop-up, so there is no need to press the "Consent" box. I am assuming that clicking on the cross will not share my personal data.
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Has something on this forum been updated?
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RailUK Forums
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I had that; it looks like it's just an updated version of the regularly appearing cookies choice notice.
Not very pleased that it doesn't have a simple "reject all" option on it, so had to scroll the list manually to ensure they were all turned off...
Not very pleased that it doesn't have a simple "reject all" option on it, so had to scroll the list manually to ensure they were all turned off...
Gloster
Established Member
I had the same the first time I looked this morning: I just tapped the x and it disappeared. I trust that will mean that nothing happens.
Unfortunately with effect from 16th January Google Adsense requires that we adopt a system like this (in line with Google’s requirements) to continue to display adverts in the manner we have done so previously.
We accept that our customers do not like these popups which is why we have left it as long as possible before implementing, as well as doing our best to ensure that you are not disturbed too frequently by them.
By The Way, if you have any administrative queries about the operation of the forum, you are best off contacting us via the link at the bottom of the forum page. This goes to a dedicated inbox that is regularly checked rather than hoping that the forum staff come across one of the many thousands of posts made per day.
We accept that our customers do not like these popups which is why we have left it as long as possible before implementing, as well as doing our best to ensure that you are not disturbed too frequently by them.
By The Way, if you have any administrative queries about the operation of the forum, you are best off contacting us via the link at the bottom of the forum page. This goes to a dedicated inbox that is regularly checked rather than hoping that the forum staff come across one of the many thousands of posts made per day.
computerSaysNo
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Can you confirm that clicking the 'x' button does indeed reject all?
I'm not sure. I have tried to find out but you would need to ask Google that question to get a definitive answer going forward.
I assume it does neither a Confirm nor a Deny, as the box is now popping up every time I come here. So basically I need to click that x every time I visit the forum now. Being a bit pedantic here, but it is the forum that is a customer of Google Ads, not us the mere forum users. So it should really be up to the administrators of the forum to answer that question, as it is they who have the ads contract with Google.
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Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Usually if you just close a cookies pop up with the X, it will use whatever settings are in the pop up at the time - so I'd certainly advise scrolling down to check they are all off first...
Shaw S Hunter
Established Member
I recently came across a similar pop-up on another site which specifically said that clicking the "x" merely maintains the status quo. It seems that despite GDPR tech companies are still going to find ways to harvest our data. And the more we actually make purchases on-line the worse it'll get. Alternatively more and more sites will charge a fee for accessing an ad-free version. Whereas in principle at least I think that they should be paying us for that valuable (to them) data.
Certainly when I looked through it this morning, a bunch of items were enabled by default. I made sure to remove them all before saving.
They need to review their Privacy Policy I think, as it is 6 years old now. https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/privacy-policy.164880/
It talks about using browser settings to manage cookies, which obviously pre-dates this new cookie pop-up window they added today. That is where the cookies are managed now.
It talks about using browser settings to manage cookies, which obviously pre-dates this new cookie pop-up window they added today. That is where the cookies are managed now.
The current Privacy Policy was last updated in June 2020, which was not 6 years ago.
The use of browser settings to manage cookies is still relevant, as the new popup relates to advertising and does not affect the cookies that provide the functionality of the forum.
I would have thought it would leave the default options as they are. The 'x' button surely just closes the window/ pane.
It's not the biggest hardship. There is a website I pay a subscription to use (family history) where I have to confirm cookies about every fortnight when I use it at home and twice each time I use it at the local library. Now that is annoying.
Doctor Fegg
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I like your optimism, but Google (market cap $1.773trn) provides exactly the same level of customer service to small businesses like RailUK Forums as it does to individual users, which is to say: none at all.
GDPR applies to data subjects (identifiable people), so each person has to consent/dissent individually.
Trainguy34
Member
For some reason the popup keeps appearing very often, unsure why. Does anyone know how to solve this?
computerSaysNo
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Did you both leave the settings in the box as they were and close the box with the 'x'? If so then it sounds like doing this does indeed reject all, or at least rejects the "save cookie settings" cookie (i.e. every time you come to the website it looks for the "saved cookie settings" cookie on your device to see whether it can use cookies for marketing etc - the cookie isn't there so it asks you by showing the pop-up; if you press "reject all" then it doesn't even have permission to save the fact that you're rejecting all as it would need a cookie to do that, therefore the fact that you've rejected all isn't saved, and so next time you access the site it looks for but doesn't find the cookie and so asks you by showing the pop-up, etc etc).
Bearing in mind the adage that "If it's free you are product", is there any negative for Rail Forums UK if we, as users, reject all?
I appreciate we have the right to reject all, I'm just wondering if this has any subsequent consequences on the service we collectively receive?
I appreciate we have the right to reject all, I'm just wondering if this has any subsequent consequences on the service we collectively receive?
dangie
Established Member
It’ll probably keep on popping up until you click on what they want you to click on
Sorry, that’s just the cynic in me. Reminds me of my work days when management would propose new practices. There’d be a vote. It would get rejected. Some time later there’d be another vote. Rejected again……. This would carry on until people got so fed up it was finally accepted.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
what do people think is going to happen by accepting something on this site? Google already knows everything about you. It knows more about you than you know about yourself.
BTW - I wonder how many people commenting have an Alexa or similar? Not many consent pop ups on one of those!
BTW - I wonder how many people commenting have an Alexa or similar? Not many consent pop ups on one of those!
Primarily that Adsense ads (*which support the forum, so please do try to keep them enabled, we make them as unobtrusive as possible, this mandatory cookie warning aside!) will be less targeted if you reject everything across sites you visit.
Incidentally, for those with an adblocker enabled and wish to keep it so, whilst still supporting the upkeep of the site - if you buy a ticket with RailUK Tickets you're supporting the forum and there's a feature to leave a small additional donation should you wish to do so
I doubt it. As long as you don't actively block ads then the forum will continue to be paid for them. They'll just be less relevant to you.
That's not how these things are supposed to work. Reject All is supposed to be for optional cookies - not those that are required for core functionality to work. Remembering cookie settings is a core function, as is a bunch of other things on most website - many of which would completely fail to work correctly if cookies were completely disabled.
On the other hand, just clicking the X button isn't rejecting anything - it's saying "I'm too busy to look at this, ask me again later" - it doesn't set a preference either way on whether you accept or reject anything.
The way to remove your consent, and store that setting, with these particular Google consent windows is to press the Manage Options button, then Confirm Choices. If you also want to remove permission for the advertisers to use your data for their "Legitimate Interest" then you will need to manually de-select those options before clicking Confirm. There is no Reject All option provided by Google.
I've never understood those options on cookie pop-up windows. Isn't the whole point of Legitimate Interest that there's no requirement to seek consent?
It's one of those things that is sufficiently vague that it almost seems it was deliberately drafted that way to ensure that lawyers got work in the future.
Gloster
Established Member
What exactly are they harvesting? I can understand them watching what sites you go to or who you interact with (*), but in my (extremely limited) understanding, the posts in this forum ought to be sufficiently isolated from other parts of the net to effectively avoid this, with the possible exception of links. Please make any explanation simple.
* - I found myself getting a lot of lingerie adverts on my e-mail site. I wasn’t particularly bothered (well, you wouldn’t be, would you), but I wondered a bit. Then I realised that somebody I corresponded with had his e-mail attached to his daughter’s (?) lingerie firm’s site.
* - I found myself getting a lot of lingerie adverts on my e-mail site. I wasn’t particularly bothered (well, you wouldn’t be, would you), but I wondered a bit. Then I realised that somebody I corresponded with had his e-mail attached to his daughter’s (?) lingerie firm’s site.
I have a popup blocker (UBlock Origin) so it hasn't happened to me.
One thing that irritates me about some of these cookie controllers is how certain cookies cannot be turned off - not just essential cookies (i.e. session cookies, required to implement a login system) but things like "Technically deliver ads and content" or some such.
Not saying that the one on this forum has this problem (I don't know) but surely is it not a violation of cookie law if you cannot turn off ad-related cookies? I may be wrong but I thought the law was that all non-essential cookies (i.e. everything apart from session cookies) had to have a disable option?
One thing that irritates me about some of these cookie controllers is how certain cookies cannot be turned off - not just essential cookies (i.e. session cookies, required to implement a login system) but things like "Technically deliver ads and content" or some such.
Not saying that the one on this forum has this problem (I don't know) but surely is it not a violation of cookie law if you cannot turn off ad-related cookies? I may be wrong but I thought the law was that all non-essential cookies (i.e. everything apart from session cookies) had to have a disable option?
The main thing that people are concerned about is tracking cookies. Without getting overly technical, it's a cookie that is associated with the browser which allows the ad company to know which sites you have visited. They don't, in themselves, let them know what you've done on those sites but can be used to build up a profile that they can use to more accurately target ads.
That, by itself, isn't necessarily a problem but as we have seen with the Cambridge Analytica debacle, that data can be and is sold to third parties to allow them to target other communications - such as political messages.
The thing is that "Technically deliver ads" is a vague-enough description to probably be allowed since they won't be used for tracking or personalisation, but for things like checking to see if the ads have loaded, etc. so arguably fall in the 'necessary' category.
Don't log out. I never do, I have a permanent RailUK Forums tab open.
It certainly does. Last time I checked it "knows" I live in Uxbridge, am under 18 years old, I am interested in laser eye treatment, and I am looking for a Chinese takeaway in Luton. All news to me.
Only if the web site is designed that way. Cookies can be made opt-in or opt-out, but of course they are all opt-out these days. But when I visit a website for the first time I would rather be asked out of three options : whether to opt-in to all cookies, opt-in to functional cookies only, or reject all cookies absolutely. On RailUK Forums for example I would opt-in to the functional cookies that remember me and where I have reached in threads I have followed. On the other hand, consider the example when I followed a link to the website of a distant local paper to see its report on a level crossing accident : although I "rejected" its cookies I checked afterwards and found it had left me with several Mb of them (which I removed). I am highly unlikely ever to visit their website again, and even if I did I would be happier to reject its cookies again rather than give house room to their cookies for ever after, or have to go to the trouble of deleting them again.
It wouldn't be forever after, cookies have a Max-Age parameter. Most sites set it to something like 30 days and most browsers cap it as well. Chrome has a maximum value of 400 days.
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