The new cookie regime | Winston Solicitors
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The new cookie regime

Jonathan Winston Jonathan Winston
2 min read

From 26 May all businesses with a website are required to obtain consent from users or subscribers in order to use cookies. This is to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

A cookie is a string of data (usually letters and numbers) which, by being stored on a particular device accessing a website, functions as a unique identifier for it.

The Regulations set out the requirements for notice and consent for cookies and other similar technologies. However consent is not a straightforward concept: the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is not prepared to endorse any specific solution; instead, it advises organisations to adapt their approach depending on the type of cookie being used and the relationship with the users. Browser settings could offer a way of indicating consent to the use of cookies. However, the general view is that most current browser settings are not sophisticated enough for websites to infer that consent has been given to allow a cookie to be set.

In order to comply with the new regime there are some practical steps which businesses can take including: conducting a "cookie audit"; assessing the privacy intrusiveness of the cookies used; and deciding what level of information to provide to users so that they can understand clearly the potential consequences of agreeing to allow the cookies to operate on their devices. Businesses should also review their website terms and conditions and privacy policies.

The ICO may exercise a range of powers at its disposal in relation to breaches of the Regulations, including Enforcement Notices, Information Notices and fines of up to £500,000.

Client feedback

We couldn’t recommend Samantha Robertson-Strong enough. She made the whole process of buying our first property so much easier and would recommend her to people I know.Thanks Again Samantha and the Winstons team!
Mr Atherton
Joe and Amr were good at keeping contact and answering my questions as a first time buyer. The solicitor on the other side of the purchase was not always responsive, though Joe/Amr made sure to keep chasing which I appreciated. Overall smooth process and would recommend.
Amber
Absolutely incredible! Exceeded all expectations, very professional.
Michael
It is probably 45+ years since I last bought a house so it was a real re-learning process. Michelle was helpful and pateint throughout. She kept me fully informed of the prgress being made and all the responses from her enquiries to the other party were detailed. Both sides were under pressure to complete before April when further tax increases loomed. It was also the pressure that I would be heading to France to oversee the sale of my property. The only 'blip' that I saw was the query of my funding. It was simply the transfer of the funds from the sale of my home in France to cover the sale in Leeds. This was accepted. I had requested Sterling and not Euros and perhaps that did raise an eyebrow or two. I would have no rpblem in recommending Winstons.
Roger
Outstanding from start to finish. Leasa was fabulous, professional and thorough throughout. Would highly recommend to anyone. We honestly cannot Thankyou enough for getting us into our family home.
Natalie
Winston solicitors are experts at what they do. They go above and beyond the normal service to provide you with the best interest for you. I cannot thank Emily for her commitment and resilience on answering every question i had asked. She is a great assest ti Winston solicitors and a credit to her team. I would love to work with Emily again in the furture if required to do so. Would not hesiste to reccommend winston solicitors to everyone.
Ishtiaq
Amazing service from Sidraa with support from Tom. Timely communication, easy to deal with and thorough. Sidraa went over and above to meet our deadlines and was so personable to deal with. Would 100% recommend.
Sophie
Both Samantha and Michelle at Winstons Solicitors have been brilliant keeping us informed with the selling and buying of our houses. If there were any problems they explained what was happening and also put our minds at rest.... as moving is stressful enough.will definitley use again in the future as we were impressed with the company and service.
Craig
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