Online code repository GitHub has announced that it has done away with all non-essential cookies on its website. The move means it is no longer required to display the cookie banner, which has thus been removed from all its pages.
“No one likes cookie banners,” declared GitHub’s CEO Nat Friedman, while announcing the move.
He added that GitHub has been looking for a solution to balance their dislike of cookie banners while conforming to legislation such as GDPR that helps protect users’ privacy. “After a brief search, we found one: just don’t use any non-essential cookies. Pretty simple, really.”
No more cookies
Friedman explained that GitHub has removed all non-essential cookies, which means the site doesn’t send any information to third-party analytics services. He also assured that the platform also doesn’t use any cookies for displaying ads and tracking users across the web.
Reports quote an unnamed GitHub spokesperson who says that the website now only sets nine cookies for essential functions like logging in, and even these might be reduced in the future. The legislation exempts these cookies from the notification requirements, which while good in principle are generally panned for breaking the user experience of websites.
“We recognize that even the best cookie banner is a sub-par user experience, and decided to put developers, their privacy, and experience first,” assures the spokesperson.
GitHub is one of the first major platforms to make this move, and could perhaps set off a much welcome trend.
Via: The Register