Cookies are used on websites to help the site function, collect statistical information, track usage etc. Cookies are text files that store small bits of data which helps recognise your computer when it revisits a website. Typical ecommerce website have a cookie function to add to cart, other examples of cookies would be a 3rd party such as Google Analytics 3 which is not required for the functioning of the website but do track usage for statistical purposes. Google has plans to phase out the use of 3rd party cookies in the future. For now cookies are here to stay.
Why do you need a cookie notice
You need a cookie notice on your website to let users of the website know that a file has been stored and data collected. Users should be able to read your cookie policy and decide what cookies they wish to accept or decline. Many of the cookie notices in operation are controlled by 3rd party tools such as:
https://www.cookiehub.com/
https://www.cookiebot.com/
Types of cookies:
“Duration
- Session cookies – These cookies are temporary and expire once you close your browser (or once your session ends).
- Persistent cookies — This category encompasses all cookies that remain on your hard drive until you erase them or your browser does, depending on the cookie’s expiration date. All persistent cookies have an expiration date written into their code, but their duration can vary. According to the ePrivacy Directive, they should not last longer than 12 months, but in practice, they could remain on your device much longer if you do not take action.
Provenance
- First-party cookies — As the name implies, first-party cookies are put on your device directly by the website you are visiting.
- Third-party cookies — These are the cookies that are placed on your device, not by the website you are visiting, but by a third party like an advertiser or an analytic system.
Purpose
- Strictly necessary cookies — These cookies are essential for you to browse the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the site. Cookies that allow web shops to hold your items in your cart while you are shopping online are an example of strictly necessary cookies. These cookies will generally be first-party session cookies. While it is not required to obtain consent for these cookies, what they do and why they are necessary should be explained to the user.
- Preferences cookies — Also known as “functionality cookies,” these cookies allow a website to remember choices you have made in the past, like what language you prefer, what region you would like weather reports for, or what your user name and password are so you can automatically log in.
- Statistics cookies — Also known as “performance cookies,” these cookies collect information about how you use a website, like which pages you visited and which links you clicked on. None of this information can be used to identify you. It is all aggregated and, therefore, anonymized. Their sole purpose is to improve website functions. This includes cookies from third-party analytics services as long as the cookies are for the exclusive use of the owner of the website visited.
- Marketing cookies — These cookies track your online activity to help advertisers deliver more relevant advertising or to limit how many times you see an ad. These cookies can share that information with other organizations or advertisers. These are persistent cookies and almost always of third-party provenance. ” Source https://gdpr.eu/cookies/
More information on Cookies
https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/dpc-guidance/guidance-cookies-and-other-tracking-technologies
https://gdpr.eu/cookies/
Example of a cookie policy – https://ec.europa.eu/info/cookies_en