We have been on the hotline to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and have some news to help you become compliant with the EU Privacy Directive and how you can get a Cookie notification installed on your website.

On 26th May 2011 the EU Privacy Directive came into force, this means that under the new the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (popularly known as the Cookie Law) legislation, website owners need to protect the privacy and confidentiality of their users. This means taking the appropriate and known security methods to protect stored personal data. Because you store personal data in Cookie’s that means these little fella’s too.

Does this affect my business’s website?
Most websites and mobile sites use cookies in order to operate. They are used to enable shopping baskets, web analytics and advertising tracking technology, so if you are running a Google Adwords campaign, booking processes, email, display ads, social media plugins, etc you are and you need to be telling people how you are using their data and giving them the option to drop out. So yes, most people do and so you need to notify people how they are using that information in your Privacy Policy. In fact, many sites will not operate without cookies. For example, cookies are required to “remember” what items have been placed in a shopping basket.

What do I need to do?
There is a one-year grace period to comply with the new legislation, so companies are expected in this period to have it implemented, but the ICO won’t hit you with a fine just yet. Next year, will be a different matter.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have issued guidance requiring website owners to:

• Conduct an audit of cookie usage on your site
• Assess the relative intrusiveness of each of those cookies
• Choose an appropriate consent mechanism based on how intrusive they are

The ICO has the power to impose penalties for non-compliance of up to £500,000 in serious cases that cause “substantial damage or distress”. However businesses that can demonstrably show that they have taken clear steps to comply are unlikely to be fined.

How e-blueprint can help you comply with the new Cookie Law

Our team will undertake an audit of your website and how you store information. We will help you to meet the legal obligations imposed by the new law. The audit will consist of:

• Assessing the website cookies your website creates for users
• recommendations on the actions that you need to take to achieve compliance
• recommendations to include within your privacy policy
• Creating the necessary code to ensure users have the options to opt out
• ensure this is completed in way that does not reduce the effectiveness or usability of your website

We use cookie recording tools, combined with our experience in website usability and analytics, to ensure your website is compliant with the new law without hindering your customers’ user journey or conversion rate.

What’s the cost of compliance to my business?
Costs vary by size of website and the information you collect, but we can talk you through what a cookie audit and code implementation service will mean for your website. With fines of up to £500,000 for non-compliance, its a small price to pay for your peace of mind.

Well, we would say that, wouldn’t we? But here’s why. Because it takes the average site user less than 50 milliseconds to form an opinion on the quality of your site.

50 milliseconds… Good news if your site’s looking good: not so good if it’s not, as the user is then likely to transfer that opinion of your site to its content. It’s known as the ‘halo effect’, where the ripples of positivity you created with a beautifully designed website are transferred to all of your content and your competency; in fact, by now, you’d have to go out of your way to put them off.

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