Privacy laws are important today.
Gone are the days when we could check the internet without those annoying pop-ups such as “Enable all the cookies?” or “Do you agree with our Privacy Notice?”
We will discuss the differences between the privacy policy and cookie policy to help you get a safer online experience.
What Is a Privacy Policy?
Privacy policies primarily deal with how and why your data is being stored and collected.
It is rare to find a website today that does not have a privacy notice or a privacy policy page.
Those two usually come hand in hand and play an important role in keeping website users safe and secure.
The understanding of privacy policy is best understood from the perspective of the consumer and the webpage owners.
CONSUMERS
Let’s begin with the consumers: the website’s users and the data owner. Websites that gather specific information and conduct data processing always have a privacy notice.
These notices inform users and the data owner of the how and why information is being collected and processed. In general, most users will accept the collection of their data.
But if you don’t want the website to collect personal data and store your information, you can always opt out of this option. Don’t worry because you can always opt in again in the future.
At its core, the main importance of having a privacy policy notice is for the following reasons:
- Building trust between website visitors and owners
- Inform of potential privacy risk
- Alert users of the effects of data collection
WEBSITE OWNERS
Web page owners are legally required to inform users of their privacy notice.
This has become a standard requirement because of privacy laws inspired by the European Union and its Privacy Laws.
On all websites, web page owners must develop a comprehensive document on how they plan to collect personal information and how they will process and store data.
Webpage owners play a crucial role in keeping all the information they collect safe and secure.
Just imagine the potential privacy risk involved when some of the personal information gets stolen or leaked.
Important Parts of a Privacy Policy
A privacy policy page is a comprehensive document listing the core of data privacy.
It must contain the kind of personal data to be collected, why it is collected, and to whom it will be shared.
We will go through each of them and why they are necessary for this day and age.
Personal Data That Will Be Collected From Users
Personal information deals with data readily pointing to a specific person when all the information is together. An example would be the following:
- Full name, birthday, age, and sex;
- Mailing address, email address, and contact information.
If you don’t want websites to gather data about yourself, you always have a choice not to allow them.
Don’t think you always have to give your personal information before enjoying the website and its services.
Reason for Collecting the Personal Data
Full compliance with privacy laws requires full disclosure of why personal data is being collected.
Most of the time, users would find a long list of reasons, and they’ll gloss over the whole paragraph instead. We can’t blame them because sometimes we’re guilty of that too.
The reason behind the data collection for some websites varies. Nonetheless, we’ve listed down some of the common reasons you need to know of:
- For site owners to have an idea of the demographic that supports their business
- To use the data to reach out for future promotions and events
- To know how the product and services of the website can be improved for future users
- To provide a user with a personalized experience, each site visit
The next time you visit a website, check out its privacy policy page on a separate page and the reason why they’re collecting information.
You can always opt in or out whenever you want.
Third-Parties You’ll Be Sharing the Personal Data With
To whom will your personal data be shared?
As far as you are concerned, you are only dealing with the website you visited. But why is your information being shared with third persons?
Unfortunately, few users understand why the information is shared with third persons. Few users are keen on this idea and many opt out. And you can too.
Always check which third parties your information is being shared with and for what reasons.
Some websites commonly share the information with some advertising platforms and google analytics.
What Is a Cookie Policy?
A cookie policy also involves obtaining the user’s consent, but this time collecting user behavior on the website through third-party services.
Cookie policies deal with the types of cookies used on the website and how users can control them.
Once you’ve enabled the cookie policy, they become cookies which are small files stored on your computer.
Some websites link to a separate cookies policy because of how extensive their document is.
Again, let’s go through the cookie policy from the perspective of the consumers and webpage owners.
CONSUMERS
From a consumer’s perspective, giving consent to a cookie policy can give you a personalized browsing experience.
It allows the webpage owners, and even third parties, to know useful information about their customers.
As an effect, you might begin seeing targeted advertisements and even suggested posts.
If you don’t want any of that, you can always opt out of the collection of user behavior and say no to the cookie policy.
Some websites even give you the option of rejecting all cookie policies or only enabling only some.
WEBSITE OWNERS
Even the collection of cookies requires explicit consent from the website’s users. Today, webpage owners need a cookies policy for their website visitors.
This has become a legal requirement for web pages that collect user behavior and give such information to third parties.
Similar to the data privacy policy page, cookie consent requires a thorough explanation of where the information is being sent and why.
The compliant cookie policy for your website must always be available for the users to view and access. In the alternative, you provide a separate link to your cookies policy.
In the world today, there have already been many instances where personal information has been leaked because of either an ineffective cookie policy or poor website security measures.
There are so many applicable laws we have across different geographic regions.
Because of this, several webpage owners and online business websites are urged to create effective online privacy measures to protect consumers.
Important Parts of a Cookie Policy
Cookie consent is an important aspect of enjoying your browsing experience, governed by cookie law.
Typically, cookies can be obtained from the user’s browser or a user’s device, which helps webpages build a personalized experience.
In the long run, this may prove beneficial for users because it’ll give them a more personal experience.
In general, every business strives to achieve this for its users. This is why agreeing to the cookies policy is always good for them.
But does this mean you should too?
Let’s get to know the different parts of a good cookie policy and why they are important.
Types of Cookies
There are different types of cookies policy you need to consent to, and we’ve briefly described each for you to understand.
- First-Party Cookies Policy: Cookie policy is directly made by the website. It collects information, such as language settings and data analytics, for a personalized experience each visit.
- Flash Cookies Policy: Permanent cookies remain in your browser and device even after deleting the cookies from your browser.
- Permanent Cookies Policy: Cookies that store your login details across different web pages. You no longer have to manually input your credentials each time.
- Session Cookies Policy: Cookies that store information about user behavior for a particular website and only for a single session. The moment the user leaves the website, the cookies are permanently deleted.
- Third-Party Cookies Policy: Cookies installed by advertisers to collect information from users. Such data is used to target more audiences based on the same demographic of the users on the website.
Remember, you can enable some or all of the cookie policy and even opt out in certain cases.
Purpose of Each Cookie
Each cookie has different purposes, not just to track user behavior or data processing.
An example of the purposes of having a cookie policy and why you should allow them are the following:
- Track user behavior for a personalized browsing experience. Keeps the advertisement link and suggestions tailor-fit to the user’s interests each time. It also helps eliminate any unwanted suggestions.
- Provide better security measures to website visitors, and prevent unusual or suspicious activities.
- Provide site owners and advertisers with data and research on what type of cookies users are more willing to enable and improve on them.
How to Withdraw Cookie Consent
Can you withdraw from cookie consent? Yes, you sure can.
Few users know they can easily withdraw from cookie consent by simply deleting the cookies on their browser or computer or changing their browser settings.
On your browser, you can manage how the cookies are stored and when cookies are being collected.
You can also enable your notifications so that you know when cookies are being collected.
However, remember that withdrawing from cookie consent or deleting the same will change your overall experience.
It may no longer have that personal touch that some users enjoy.
What Is a Cookie Consent?
Cookie consent is when a website requests consent to allow their cookies or utilize cookies they’ve gathered.
The cookie consent usually pops up immediately after loading the website or as banners.
Some appear full on your screen, enumerating the website’s cookies clause, cookie policy, and other relevant information.
If you need to decide whether to enable the cookies policies, you can read the whole thing on a separate page.
Some web pages link their separate cookies policy on a different page for anyone interested to read the cookie policy in depth.
Check how long cookies are stored, for what reasons, and other further information you might be interested in.
Frequently Asked Questions
We always get a ton of questions about cookie policy, and we’ve answered one of the most common questions we always get.
Will I Still Need a Cookie Policy or Cookie Banner if I Don’t Use Cookies?
No. If your website doesn’t use cookies, there’s no need for you to have a cookie policy.
Remember, a cookie policy is vital only for webpages involved in data processing, storing, and collection of personal information of its users.
If your website doesn’t do any of this, you don’t have to worry about having a cookie policy document.
Conclusion
EU Customers know that data protection has become an important factor in internet usage. Business owners are key in ensuring a compliant cookie policy and privacy notices.
We hope you learned a lot from our privacy policy vs. cookies policy article! The next time you want to create a website for your business, remember what we’ve discussed here.
You may also check out some of the best cookie policy generators to help you get started, even for your WordPress sites!
If you have more questions regarding this subject of privacy policy vs. cookies policy, let us know in the comments below.