title: Is a PHP Session acceptable with the new UK cookie law?
body: <p>I am just looking for some advice on the new <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">UK Cookie Law</a> and how it affects PHP sessions. I understand that you do not need the users to opt in when a cookie is "strictly necessary" and the example given is adding an item to a shopping cart.</p>
  
  <p>I am using similar functionality that remembers what you have stored in a contact form, which I feel is strictly necessary use of a session and therefore no opt in is required.</p>
  
  <p>However the confusion for me arises because I have a session_start(); at the top of each page, which means the cookie is set straight away. Some users will not then go to use the contact form, so this means that the cookie is not strictly necessary for them. </p>
  
  <p>I could remove session_start(); from the top of each page, but this functionality is used throughout a number of websites and it would be preferable if we could leave it in.</p>
  
  <p>Could anyone shed any more light on this?</p>