ICO sees 90 per cent 'drop' in web traffic due to cookie law

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has seen a dramatic drop in measured web traffic to its site since it implemented a cookie approval tool, according to information obtained under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

The ICO was one of the first sites to install a cookie consent system when the law came into force, with most businesses given a year's grace period in which to prepare for the law before any enforcement action will be taken.

However, the data released under the FOI request, made by Vicky Brock from Highland Business Research, underlines the impact the change in law will have for online businesses in the UK and Europe.

For example, two days before the law came into force the site had 10,099 and 9,841 unique visitors. Once consent was required for visitors to the site to be tracked, though, the numbers slumped.

On 26 May, the ICO site recorded just 1,281 visitors and on 27 May that dropped to 1,138. Overall, the average figure for the 20 days prior to the law change and the 20 days after was a whopping 89 per cent loss in measured visitor data.

The figures will make worrying reading for firms that need analytics data to secure advertising or focus marketing campaigns.

However, the fact this is the ICO web site, and not a major consumer site such as Amazon or Facebook, means the figures may be somewhat distorted. Users are more likely to accept the use of cookies if they see a clear benefit such as having log-in information or shopping preferences saved.