Just as many of you are starting your well-intentioned New Year Resolutions, quite possibly involving an improved ‘healthy’ lifestyle, here at Intimation Creative we can’t stop thinking of cookies, and we would like you to put them at the forefront of your mind too!

Unfortunately there is a serious matter behind this, regarding the new EU law, ‘Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011, commonly referred to as the “Cookie Law”.

Cookies are small files that store information about visitors to your website, allowing your site to ‘remember’ if a user has visited the site before and information such as their stored preferences or registration details.

To comply with the law you must essentially notify visitors to the website of the cookies that are being used and request their consent, by directing them to your privacy policy and get them to tick a box stating that they understand it before they continue. This may seem a nuisance but it is something that must be complied to, as failure to adhere to the law can result in hefty fines up to £500,000.

We would certainly suggest immediately complying to this directive if your website offers e-commerce, login details or third party cookies. The great ‘grey area’ of this debate is the use of Google Analytics. Strictly speaking, the use of Google Analytics means that cookies are in use (albeit first-party), and so by the letter of the law should be notified on your website. However, even the Government Digital Service (GDS) are unsure of this, arguing that the minimally intrusive nature of Google Analytics means that a footnote or similar would suffice. http://tinyurl.com/82ztvsu

At Intimation, we would prefer our clients to have peace of mind as they begin 2013, and we can offer a very reasonable fee for making sure their website complies with the ‘cookie law’.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact;

studio@www.intimation.uk