Online Users Must Actively Consent to Cookies, EU Court Rules

European Union rules require people to actively choose to allow companies to install tracking cookies, judges said in another key ruling on privacy from the EU’s top court.

The EU Court of Justice said in a judgment on Tuesday that the placement of cookies requires the active consent of internet users and that “a box checked by default is therefore insufficient.”

Users’ consent has become more of a sensitive issuefollowing a string of privacy scandals. Under a powerful EU privacy law that took effect in May last year, companies risk hefty fines for inadequately informing users about what data ...