Most websites use cookies.
But in order to comply with international privacy laws like ePrivacy, GDPR and CCPA, it is necessary to stop cookies from being placed before you have obtained valid consent from your user. Here’s how to block cookies before you get consent.
Why should you block cookies before consent?
Since most cookies collect your users’ personal data, they are subject to the provisions of the GDPR.
And according to the GDPR, you need a legal ground to process personal data. This ground can be legitimate interest, but in most cases it is consent (GDPR – art. 6, 1(a).
GDPR art. 6,1(a)
Lawfulness of processing
1. Processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:
(a) the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes;
Therefore, when you use cookies that collect personal data, you are obligated to collect your users’ valid consent to cookies before you place any cookies.
But how to block cookies before you get consent?
There are three simple ways to prevent cookies from being placed in your users’ browser before you get consent. Let’s take a look.
The easy way: Don't use any cookies. at all
Just avoid having tracking cookies on your site – entirely.
Create a tracking free zone where personal information about your visitors is not collected by third parties, and where your website only uses technically necessary cookies.
Then you do not have to figure out which cookies process personal information and therefore require explicit consent.
As such, you also avoid cookies being set before you obtain a valid consent.
However, this is difficult because you are cut off from functions that you may want to use commercially.
Most website owners like to have cool widgets on their site like newsletter sign-up forms, Google Maps integration, or being able to analyze visitor behavior with Google Analytics.
This is completely understandable.
These add-ons make the website more dynamic and may help your company get a better overview of your customers promoting sales.
THE HARD WAY: CODE IT ALL YOURSELF!
Are you a qualified backend developer and do you have loads of time, you can, in principal, code it all yourself. Identify all scripts on your site that set cookies, write a script that blocks cookies from being set until your user has given an explicit consent and implement it in your website’s source code – voilà.
Far from all developers have the necessary time to build these kinds of in-house solutions.
One thing is to develop the scripts necessary; another thing is to keep track of the millions of cookies that exist.
A company’s web developer has many tasks, and this should not be one of them. But what then?
THE RIGHT WAY: COOKIE CONTROL SDK
The right solution for your business is already here.
Cookie Information has developed a Software Development Kit (SDK) for its Consent Solution customers.
The SDK is applicable on any CMS system and will ensure that your website does not store cookies in the user’s browser until the user has given his or her explicit consent.
When doing so, your website can reach the ultimate goal of GDPR compliance regarding cookies.
Cookies Information’s SDK works like this: it creates a “ring” around each script in the source code that sets cookies. The SDK scans the cookie banner to find whether the visitor has given consent to cookies – or only to some categories of cookies (functional, statistical or marketing).
Book an SDK Meeting
Would you like us to implement the Cookie Control SDK for your website so you can block cookies before consent? Let’s talk.
