Cookies – Yay!! Sorry to disappoint! But, here, we are not referring to a Chocolate Chip cookie!! A Cookie, in this article, refers to a piece of information, stored as text strings, on the visitor’s web browser while they browse your website.
Examples of Cookies
- Cookies are most commonly used to track website activity to gather information about which web pages are used the most. Or, which pages are collecting the most repeat hits.
- Cookies are also used for online shopping stores. They often use cookies that record any personal information you enter, as well as any items in your electronic shopping cart, so that, you do not need to re-enter this information each time you visit the site.
- Service providers can use cookies to provide personalized web pages by storing selected preferences at a website in a cookie.
What is GDPR?
With the onset of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you, as a website owner, must obtain, and store, ‘cookie consents’ from your visitors from the European Union (EU), Ireland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland – if you are using some tracking software to track their activities. GDPR gives website visitors more rights and control over how their data is processed.
Who Does GDPR Apply to?
GDPR applies to businesses that target the European Union (EU) data subjects. This means that the new privacy law – GDPR – applies, not only to organizations operating within the European Union (EU) but, it also applies to all the businesses worldwide that target individuals in the European Union (EU).
What are the Consequences of Violating the GDPR Regulation?
Businesses that violate the European Union (EU) GDPR face a maximum penalty of €20 million ($23 million) or 4% of their annual global turnover (whichever is higher).
The largest penalty, so far, was issued on January 2019, when Google received a GDPR fine of €50 million for not fully informing users how their data would be used when they set up its Android operating system.
What is GDPR Compliance?
Complying with the European Union (EU) GDPR means that, businesses have to ensure that data is collected legally. That is, the businesses must inform users (1) how their data is collected; (2) how will it be treated; and, (3) last but not least, how it will be secured (i.e., protected from breaches).
What is a cookie consent banner?
As mentioned, under the regulations of GDPR, companies must ask users’ permission to track their activities and process their data. Read the rest of this entry!
