Ernest Grant

Cookie Policy

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There has been a flurry of news recently from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) regarding the introduction of the ‘cookie directive’ and what this means for both UK businesses and consumers.

The new rules came into effect on 26th May 2011, and both the government and ICO have since made clear statements that they believe the vast majority of businesses must be compliant with these changes within 12 months of this date.

The new rules specify visitors now are:

• (a) Provided with clear and comprehensive information and purposes of the storage or, or access to, that information; and
• (b) Given the opportunity to refuse the storage of or access to that information.

Historically websites have ‘buried’ information about the use of cookies in terms and conditions, and relied on users ‘opting out’ – both practices which will no longer be acceptable. If you currently collect cookie data, regardless of the how the information is actually utilised, and wish to continue with this practice, the regulator is advocating you take the following initial steps in order to understand the potential impact of any changes on your own business:

Check what type of cookies and similar technologies you use and how you use them.

Assess how intrusive your use of cookies is.

Decide what solution to obtain consent will be best in your circumstances.

A handy and free online resource which may help provide more background and context can be found at All About Cookies.