Now the world is more aware of what can go wrong when we give our on-line data to strangers on the web, when it’s all basically gone wrong for some people (quite a lot of people) the web searchers and browsers have decided to implement some changes.

As a result, a new widget appears even on a baby diary site like this one, saying that I use cookies and is that okay with you?

Because it’s a tiny site with an inexpensive shared host, then it isn’t eligible for certification, not that I actually hold anyones’ data anyway – don’t ask for it and don’t store it – because basically I’m not selling or buying anything from anyone.

But I don’t especially like getting a warning flash up overtime I decide to update my everyday rants and rambles with a “website not secure” warning.  Maybe just to get rid of it, I’ll upgrade to independent hosting which will cost me more, and get a security certificate, which will cost me considerably more, just to get rid of that annoying warning.

Hmm.

Not buying. Not selling. Really not collecting any data on anyone, anywhere. Yet still I’m seeing that annoying warning.

& in real life, though I’ve checked my Facebook data (minimal because I’m a chronic under-sharer with paranoid tendencies) whenever I log onto a new site or search engine and they ask me whether I’m okay with their data policy, I rarely scroll though it to decide.

I do turn off most things on search engines, but mainly because I find tailored advertising spooky and intrusive. I don’t want an algorithm predicting my interests even though I know somewhere out there will be a box I have forgotten to tick that means an algorithm has caught me somewhere.

Does anyone actually pay attention to the warnings? Does anyone exercise more control just because now you have to tick a box that says yes instead of no. I’m not convinced.