YouTube and GDPR

Heinz-Hermann 7 years ago

Hello Martin,

meanwhile it is necessary to harmonize youtube embedding with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Therefore one should use an embed code like https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_UsSZXzOSj4&rel=0 with a “nocookie” remark. How can this be realized in your app which puts a cookie even before starting the video? Or how can I disable the cookies otherwise?

Thanks again for your support

Heinz-Hermann

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

Martin 7 years ago

Hello Heinz-Hermann,

unfortunately your link doesn’t seem to play: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_UsSZXzOSj4&rel=0 However you can get such link when you enable the “Enable privacy-enhanced mode” option when obtaining the embed code for the video on YouTube. So here is a link which I generated that way and it works: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pM1EE0Islso It still seems to set some cookies once the video starts to play.

Please check our YouTube demo: https://foliovision.com/player/demos/youtube-embedding There are no cookies for YouTube there until you click to play the video. Then it loads the YouTube API which will set some cookies. So that behavior seems very similar to what https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pM1EE0Islso is doing – no cookies unless you play the video.

Of course if the video is set to autoplay, the cookies are set right away: https://foliovision.com/player/demos/youtube-autoplay

Thanks,
Martin

Alec Kinnear 7 years ago

Hi Heinz-Hermann,

The GDPR is another in a line of too sweeping and ultimately toothless EU directives (as an extreme example if you order people “don’t breathe” or “don’t drink water” you’ll find very limited compliance).

A previous example of these directives is the cookie law. Basically all publishers just put up a notice now:

Don’t like cookies? Get off of our website.”

GDPR will be the same thing. YouTube and Facebook are covering their bases as they are the only companies large enough and who misuse this data in a substantial enough way.

Setting a local cookie (on your domain) for video playback is not a GDPR or privacy issue. Hence what we are doing at FV Player in terms of GDPR compliance (as we’ve always respected privacy and never tracked our users across the internet) is just supporting whatever YouTube is doing. I.e. our YouTube API support won’t break, however YouTube changes it.

GDPR is a mass hysteria like the Y2K mania or Bitcoin. We are not particularly susceptible to mass hysteria at Foliovision. Our values are permanent: software which works, respect for the individual, respect for privacy, respect for the independent web.

Cordial regards,

Alec

Ciprian 7 years ago

“Don’t like cookies? Get off of our website.”

It is illegal to do this, that is why everyone needs to categorize external cookie except for cookie necessary for the website to work. So this wont work.

Lucia 7 years ago

Hi Ciprian!

Have you tried the testing what Martin mentioned above – There are no cookies unless you click play the video.

We do not gather any data from as we always valued privacy. If you want a nice privacy notice you can get inspired for example here on EDPS site.

Thanks,
Lucia

Olaf Lederer 7 years ago

There is nothing wrong if a third party is setting technical cookies. You need to be careful with sensitive/personal based or tracking cookies.
You can’t create cookie less sites these days.
Btw. it’s not against the law to block a visitor from your site if he doesn’t accept the cookies. Only sites from the government are not allowed to do that.

Martin 7 years ago

Hello Olaf,

thank you for a short summary. Indeed, FV Player Pro stores the video quality in a cookie, but that is simply not a personal information.

Thanks,
Martin

Allyn Beth Brown 5 years ago

When using a youtube no cookie url (for example: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pM1EE0Islso) the video does not play in the flowplayer. It looks like the video type defaults to flash instead of youtube and an unsupported file format message is displayed. Is it possible for videos using the youtube-nocookie.com domain to be treated as youtube videos so that they are compatible with the player?

Juraj Kacaba 5 years ago

Hello Allyn,

I’ll forward your question to our development team for a check.

Thanks,
Juraj

Allyn Beth Brown 5 years ago

Following up on this. Thanks

Martin 5 years ago

Hello Allyn,

it’s true that https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pM1EE0Islso doesn’t set any cookies, but the video won’t play either.

Here’s a code where somebody was trying to use that domain with the YouTube Player API (that’s what FV Player Pro uses for YouTube) and while it plays the cookies are still being set: https://jsfiddle.net/8aebp5zt/50/

Thanks,
Martin

Allyn Beth Brown 5 years ago

Yes the issue is that the videos do not play in the Flowplayer when using that domain. Regardless of whether cookies are set or not is there a way for the Flowplayer to recognize that domain as a youtube video and treat it as youtube in the player so that the video can play?

Martin 5 years ago

Hello Allyn,

strangely https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pM1EE0Islso won’t play on my work computer with OS X, but here on Linux it plays. Using Chrome to test it out in both cases.

Oh I see, it just won’t play when using the incognito mode.

FV Player loads the https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api script and it’s not available on the nocookie domain: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/iframe_api unfortunately.

Thanks,
Martin

Allyn Beth Brown 5 years ago

Okay so in conclusion the player does not support the nocookie domain and you cannot add support?

Martin 5 years ago

Hello Allyn,

that is correct. Unfortunately the YouTube Iframe API is not provided by that no cookie domain: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/iframe_api

Thanks,
Martin