“What is a cookie banner and why do I need one?”
If you are the new owner of a website that aims to have visitors from the European Union, these are the first two questions regarding privacy policy that spring to mind.
This blog should answer both of them and enable you to check if your website’s use of cookies and online tracking is GDPR/ePR compliant.
What is a Cookie Banner?
If you have ever accessed a website while being in any of the 27 member states of the European Union, you surely must have seen a pop-up banner welcoming your visit.
The nature of this banner is not necessarily congratulatory. Its purpose is to warn you about the cookies and trackers present on that specific website and to give you a choice of consent before your data enters a collection process.
These banners abide by the ePrivacy Directive of 2002, also known as the “Cookie Law” and by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforced since 2018.
These two EU laws have a substantial impact on the practice and use of cookie consent banners and how websites handle the cookies that track and collect user data.
According to the GDPR, these cookie banners inform visitors that information regarding their names, location, and browsing behavior can be collected with their consent for general purposes that include easier navigation, marketing, and user preferences for future visits.
The EU legislation specifies that all cookie banners have to feature empty checkboxes that have not been pre-checked. This way, each user can decide on the amount of data that they want to share, and the purpose for which they choose to share it.
What does a GDPR-Compliant Cookie Banner look like?
If you wish to make your website available to EU visitors, you must employ a GDPR-compliant cookie banner, which should look like a pop-up box with a simple text informing of the use of cookies, as well as a link to the site’s privacy policy.
The banner should have a series of checkboxes followed by an “ok” button through which the user gives his or her consent for personal data use. The checkboxes should include information for:
- Necessary cookies
- Preferences
- Statistics
- Marketing
Cookie banners should be part of a cookie management solution that collects all this data and uses it according to the EU legislation.
How to make your website GDPR compliant
Cookiebot is a cloud-driven mechanism that helps websites complies with GDPR legislation. It is a safe and easy solution for controlling cookies and trackers while allowing users to opt-out of certain forms of tracking.
With Cookiebot you get a full cookie management solution that enables your website to collect and store user data consensually and legally. You can use this software-as-a-service tool to:
- Provide your site’s visitors with transparent information regarding your cookie policy
- Allow users to opt-in or opt-out of various types of cookies
- Give users the option to consent to cookie requisition before continuing on your website
- Keep a record of all the information that users have agreed to share with your site
- Ask for a renewal of any user’s consent every 12 months that follow their initial visit
Even as paid software, Cookiebot manages to be one of the most used tools that developers employ to ensure that web applications and websites conform to GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive.
