Regulation advocates declared this to be evidence that self-regulation is failing. The truth is another matter. When you arrive at some sites, registration forms ask for information like your name and email address. They are planted after a site asks your browser for permission to create them. Cookies alone cannot divulge your name or address but they can reveal how long you stay at a page, what products you like, and what sites you visit.
Sites use the information they gather in several ways.
They monitor what attracts visitors and tailor themselves to various interests. If you give it to them, sites sometimes sell your name to third parties, often to direct marketers who launch email solicitations. Web users aren't forced to submit to these practices. They never have to accept a cookie, fill out a form, or blindly relinquish information. Browsers that automatically accept cookies can be easily modified to seek the user's permission first.