GDPR Cookie Consent Free
By: Rameesa Gm
Tags: Gdpr Cookie Consent, Gdpr

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are tiny text files that get downloaded onto your website visitor’s device (i.e. laptop or smartphone) when they visit your site. These files allow your website to recognize the user’s device and store details about their preferences.

Developers and businesses regularly use cookies to enhance the user experience of a website. Using cookies can also help provide you with useful information to help improve your understanding of your visitors.

For example, cookies can:

Save user login details

Measure how often a user visits your website and which pages they visit

Target relevant advertising to your visitors

Your website’s Cookie Policy must contain information about how your user’s data is managed when they visit your website. It must also advise how your visitors can opt out of the placement of cookies from your website.

Do I Need a Cookie Policy?

If your website is based in the European Union (EU), or if a citizen based in the EU may interact with your site, you’re required to have a Cookie Policy according to the law.

In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. This legislation protects the rights of EU citizens to maintain control of their personal data.

It is important to keep in mind that a Cookie Policy isn’t only required for businesses based in the EU. Having this policy is also necessary for any website getting traffic from users from an EU member state.

The regulations surrounding cookies make it very clear that a user must take an action which clearly indicates the acceptance of, and consent to, the use of cookies.

User consent can come in many forms, such as replying to an email or clicking an opt-in button on a website.

You can use a notice (such a banner in the header or footer of your website, or a pop-up) to inform users that your website uses cookies. This notice can link to your Cookie Policy. Start for free now

How To Become A GDPR Compliant?

Companies that don’t follow the rules mentioned under the GDPR are more likely to receive huge fines — not following the rules under GDPR means, providing no structure to governing the data, or managing its security effectively. This can lead to a number of potential breaches.

Well, there is nothing to worry about; compliance is not that difficult.

For GDPR Compliance

Create a GDPR compliant privacy policy.

Abide by the principles of the GDPR.

Process your users’ personal information legally.

Creating a compliant GDPR policy template

A privacy policy is an important way to ensure compliance with a key GDPR principle regarding transparency. A compliant privacy policy must cover:

It must be written in a simple language so your users can easily understand it.

It must be comprehensive, which means it covers every aspect of your personal data processing activities.

It must be easily accessible, particularly prior to the point that you’re collecting your users’ data or soon after if you’ve received it from elsewhere. However, you should update your privacy policy, whenever there are changes to the processing activities, in order to show compliance with GDPR.

You will find many GDPR policy templates, but an effective and complaint privacy policy should incorporate the following:

Contact details of your company

Article 13 (1)(a) of the GDPR requires that you provide your users with: “The identity and the contact details of the controller and, where applicable, of the controller’s representative.” Article 13 (1)(b) of the GDPR also requires you to provide: “The contact details of the data protection officer, where applicable.”

Legal basis and purpose of processing

Article 13 (1)© of the GDPR requires that you provide information about:

“The purposes of the processing for which the personal data are intended as well as the legal basis for the processing.” If you don’t have any specific purpose, you are not allowed to process the personal data of an individual. And if you have a purpose for personal data processing, make sure you are doing it legally. The GDPR has set out six legal bases in Article 6. You are only allowed to process personal data of a person if you meet at least one of the following:

1. You have their consent for processing.

2. You are required to process their personal data to fulfil a contract with them.

3. You are legally required to process their personal data.

4. Failing to process their personal data would put their life or someone else’s life at risk.

5. You are carrying out a task in the public interest or with legal authority.

6. You have a legitimate interest in processing their personal data.

If sharing your user’s personal data

Article 13 (1)(e) requires you to provide information about: “The recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data, if any.” Here, you are not asked to provide the name of a company with whom you are sharing personal data. Instead, you must mention the types of organisations with whom you share your data.

When you are transferring personal data to a third country

Article 13 (1)(f) of the GDPR requires that you provide information about:

“The fact that the controller intends to transfer personal data to a third country or international organisation and the existence or absence of an adequacy decision by the Commission.” The third country means if you are transferring data to any country outside the EU. For instance, if you are hosting your site in the US and processing the personal information of EU people through your website, you are transferring it to the third country. The EU Commission has also declared several countries to have adequate data privacy standards. This enables the free flow of data from the EU to the countries that have been listed.

For how long you can keep your user’s personal data?

Article 13 (2)(a) of the GDPR requires that you inform your users: “The period for which the personal data will be stored, or if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period,” GDPR states you cannot to retain a person’s personal data longer than you need.

Give a free choice to your users

When consent is relied upon for the processing of data, you must provide users with a free choice. When taking consent from the users, you must offer them both options. Users should positively affirm that they permit you to process their personal data.

Easily withdrawn

Along with being able to refuse, you users should be allowed to withdraw consent, once they have agreed. Article 7(3) of the GDPR says: “It shall be as easy to withdraw as to give consent.” Article 13 (2)© requires that you make your users aware of “the existence of the right to withdraw consent at any time.” If you keep your privacy policy updated, you will be able to enjoy many privileges along with ensuring compliance.