Anyone who uses the internet will be familiar with cookie banners. For many of us, clicking “Accept all cookies” whenever we visit a new website is so automatic that we probably don’t even notice it. But this doesn’t mean that cookie banners don’t matter. A cookie banner is an essential part of any website, and forgetting to include it can have serious consequences. Let’s take a closer look at cookie banners and why they matter.
What are cookies?
Every time you visit a website, small text files are added to your browser. These are cookies. Some cookies are essential for a website to work properly, but others are used to track user behaviour. These cookies will gather information on the websites that you visit and this data can be used for marketing purposes. Websites do not need your consent to add essential cookies to your browser, but the laws around non-essential cookies are much stricter. This is all because of
GDPR.
GDPR and cookies
In the early days of the internet, the use of cookies was regulated by the
2002 ePrivacy Directive. This law stated that websites had to inform users if they were using non-essential cookies, but there was no requirement for users to give their active consent. This all changed in 2018 with the introduction of the GDPR.
The GDPR (General Data Privacy Regulation) is a set of EU laws covering the storage and use of personal data. While GDPR does not regulate the use of cookies themselves, it does impose strict rules on what companies can do with the data collected by cookies. Your internet activity is considered to be personal information, and so it can only be collected with consent. Under GDPR, a website can only use non-essential cookies if the user opts-in.
The punishments for GDPR non-compliance are extremely harsh. Fines can be as much as £18 million, so you need to make sure you get it right. The easiest way to do this is with a cookie banner.
What is a cookie banner?
A cookie banner is a pop-up notification that informs visitors of the ways in which their data will be collected and used. There are no rules about the design of cookie banners, but they tend to be fairly large and prominent. Most cookie banners will impede the use of the website until the user has either accepted or declined the use of non-essential cookies. A cookie banner must provide users with a free choice, and it must give them the option to revoke their consent if they change their mind.
Do I need a cookie banner?
The short answer is yes. Although GDPR only applies to EU countries, this relates to the location of the user not the location of the website. Therefore, if there is any chance that your website will be accessed from within an EU country, you need a cookie banner. Since you can’t control who visits your website, this essentially means that all websites need a cookie banner. It is also worth noting that this will apply to UK websites regardless of Brexit.
So, what next?
If you would like to update your cookie banner or add a new one, contact us and we will add it to your site – for free!