Your Guide To Cookies, Web Analytics, And GDPR Compliance will be described in this article. There has been a great deal of confusion over cookies, cookie permission, and cookie compliance since the GDPR went into force and completely changed the internet landscape. Thus, we would want to take this opportunity to discuss the “big bad” of the twenty-first century in more detail.
Your Guide To Cookies, Web Analytics, And GDPR Compliance
In this article, you can know about Guide To Cookies, Web Analytics, And GDPR Compliance here are the details below;
Although they seem to have a bad image, are online cookies really that harmful?
An internet cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, is a tiny bit of information that is transferred by websites and saved on your computer or mobile device upon access.
No. Since they are unable to spread malware to computers, cookies by themselves are typically safe.
They can also be beneficial to users of the websites that employ them as well as to people who visit those websites. For instance, cookies on e-commerce websites record the items you are purchasing when you purchase online. Every time you left that website, your basket would be empty if you didn’t have that tracking.
Cookies can be used by websites and enterprises for user experience tracking and authentication (logins). For instance, keeping track of several visits to the same website so that they can improve the user experience for clients.
When personal information is included directly in a cookie, that is an additional indication of a malicious cookie. For instance, when a website keeps a cookie containing your name or demographic information, or when a website stores a cookie containing survey data. These days, using cookies in this manner is regarded as improper behaviour.
Third-party Cookies
Websites can use them to gather information about your visit and activities on several websites. When cookies are used for “big brother” forms of tracking, such as creating a virtual fingerprint of a person after their online behaviour is monitored from website to website, they can cross dangerous lines. When you watch an advertisement, for instance, the majority of advertising networks install third-party cookies in your browser. This enables the advertisers to track users across different websites and allows the companies to purchase better targeted adverts.
Matomo is a GDPR compliant analytics tool that provides you complete control over your data and respects your privacy.
For precise reporting of both first-time and repeat visitors. Cookies are used by Matomo to store certain visitor data in between visits. Cookies are also used by us to keep track of whether a user has consented to tracking or not.
First-party cookies are used by Matomo by default and are set on your website’s domain.
The following prefixes are used by Matomo cookies: _pk_ref, _pk_cvar, _pk_id, and _pk_ses. View an inventory of every Matomo cookie: Question 146 on https://matomo.org/faq/general/
Adding a line to the javascript code in Matomo allows you to turn off tracking cookies. The accuracy of Matomo data will somewhat decrease if cookies are disabled. Furthermore, even if cookies are blocked, some might still be created under some circumstances.
You can also use Matomo without displaying a cookie consent popup by removing tracking cookies. If you disable cookies, you can continue tracking even if they refuse cookie consent.
Cookies and the GDPR
According to the GDPR and in certain countries, websites must give users the opportunity to opt out of all tracking, including tracking cookies.
When cookies violate a person’s privacy, the GDPR governs their use. Cookies that are able to uniquely identify a person are referred to as personal data. Also check Conversion Rate Optimization Checklist
Cookie compliance and the GDPR
To comply with the GDPR, you have to:
- Before utilising any cookies, obtain user consent (unless in cases where cookies are strictly necessary). Learn more about “clearly exempt from consent” cookies.
- Before receiving consent, make sure you are clear and precise about the data that each cookie tracks and its purpose in plain language.
- Keep track of and record user consent.
- Permit consumers to utilise your service even if they object to specific cookies being used.
- As easy as it was for people to consent in the first place, make it equally straightforward for them to withdraw their consent.
Giving individuals control over their personal data is the goal of the GDPR. In order to safeguard people’s privacy, this law contains clauses and standards that govern how personal data is processed.
This implies that you may occasionally require those people’s express approval in order to utilise cookies.
Subsequently, a lot of cookies usually don’t need permission
These are the following:
- User-input cookies are used to track user behaviour during a session and are tied to the feature the user has specifically requested.
- They are used to detect abuses of authentication and are only retained for a short amount of time.
- Cookies used by multimedia content players,
- Like Flash Player, during load balancing sessions, other technical cookies, during user interface customisation sessions, for a browser session or several hours, or whenever more information is provided prominently (e.g., by writing “uses cookies” next to the customisation feature).
User consent is not always required:
We are aware that obtaining consent is nearly always required anytime personal data is collected and used. Nonetheless, there are times when processing data falls within the category of “legitimate interests.” Processing of personal data is permissible “if processing is necessary for the purposes of the fair interests,” according to the GDPR. Accordingly, you can avoid requesting consent for the collection and processing of personal information if you have “legitimate interests”—but only in cases where such processing is really required. See https://cookieinformation.com/resources/blog/what-is-legitimate-interest-under-the-gdpr for additional information.
A lawful basis for processing personal data (proceeding with caution):
We’ve already discussed using Matomo as a legitimate reason for processing personal data in accordance with GDPR. The catch here is that you must have a compelling case for your justified interests. We believe that obtaining consent is still the appropriate legal basis when processing personal data that could endanger the end user. As of this writing, ICO is offering a tool to assist you in making this selection if you are unsure.
How is Matomo Analytics GDPR compliance?
You can set Matomo up to automatically anonymize data, ensuring that no personal information is processed. You can entirely avoid GDPR by doing this. Matomo gives you a set of 12 easy actions to follow in order to effortlessly comply with the GDPR requirements if you choose to process personal data.
Are you prepared to start your GDPR compliance journey? View our live demo and begin your complimentary 21-day Matomo trial right now; no credit card is needed.
A plethora of cookie management platforms (CMPs) emerged in the early stages of the GDPR to assist individuals and websites in adhering to the regulations surrounding cookies.
These have grown troublesome in the last few years. According to a ruling by Europe’s highest court, a pre-checked cookie box does not provide sufficient consent.
Furthermore, according to recent study, the majority of cookie consent pop-ups in the EU do not comply with GDPR. MIT, UCL, and Aarhus University recently released a research titled “Dark Patterns after the GDPR,” which revealed that most websites do not adhere to the regulations on cookies. According to the survey, the majority of cookie consent pop-ups in the EU undermine the GDPR by using deceptive tactics to persuade users of websites to click the “accept” button.
Be compliant with secure GDPR analytics
You can be confident that Matomo will be at the forefront of these developments as the GDPR continues to change. Start your free 21-day trial of Matomo by trying our online demo today; no credit card is needed. Also check CRO Tools To Boost Your Conversion Rates
Disclaimer
We make no claims to be solicitors and are not. The information on this page is meant to serve as an introduction to potential problems with cookies. We urge all companies and websites to take data privacy seriously, and if you have any concerns, talk to your lawyer about these matters.
