Policies, Pixels & Cookies, Oh My!
Do you continue to hear technical buzzwords like cookies and pixels? Do you know what a privacy policy is and if you should have one? Are you noticing more and more cookie banners or pop-up boxes on websites? Do you know how this applies to your business? Before we can dive into any of that, we must first address what these words mean:
What are cookies? Cookies are small pieces of code stored in web browsers that are often used to distinguish between website visitors. When you visit a website, the website sends the cookie to your computer. Your computer then stores it in a file located inside your web browser. The purpose of a cookie is to help the website keep track of your visits and activity.
What are pixels? A pixel (or tag) is an analytics tool that allows you to measure the effectiveness of your advertising by understanding the actions people take on your website. Many times, you might hear this referenced as a Facebook pixel or a Google tag.
What is a privacy policy? A privacy policy is a statement or document that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client's data. A privacy policy fulfills a legal requirement to protect a customer's privacy and is often posted on a business's website.
Privacy laws around the world dictate that if you collect personal information from your website visitors, then you need to have a privacy policy posted on your site. Unlike other countries, there is no single governing privacy law in the U.S. However, as new laws pass, this will push businesses to update digital policies and enact new technical options for their website visitors. This is currently happening in the EU and has recently become mandatory. Although this is currently optional in the US, we expect additional regulations and expectations from both the government and users themselves.
To see examples, you can refer to the policies we created for our website which includes a cookie banner, privacy policy, and even a social media policy. These enhancements are outlined below:
- Cookie Banner – often appearing as a banner or pop-up box usually on the bottom of the homepage. This banner requests the user's consent to the use of cookies on the website. Users are given the option to accept, decline, or learn more.
- Privacy Policy – often located in the footer of every page on the website. This privacy policy discloses the privacy practices of the business containing details about information collection, security, and the use of Facebook and Google within the website.
- Social Media Policy – often located in the footer of every page on the website. The social media policy contains detailed information about how social media channels are used within the business.
A wise web company will advise their clients to be aware of international laws and inform them of how this impacts web development in the U.S.Web companies should be well versed in important regulatory policies such as ADA compliance, HIPAA regulations, EU GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and industry-specific privacy policy procedures. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please contact the Digital Marketing Department at Business Builders Marketing. 309-827-7977