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EU Working Group Advises Companies On Obtaining Consent For Cookies

Mobile Commerce European Union Privacy/Cyber Risk & Data Security

Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

On October 8, the EU’s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, which represents all 28 data protection authorities of the EU countries, released a document to provide guidance to website operators for obtaining consent for use of cookies on their websites. The guidance notes that implementation of the e-Privacy Directive that requires such consent varies by member state, and that practices for obtaining user consent for storage of or access to cookies also vary. The Working Party therefore identifies the main elements of valid consent, implementation of which would ensure compliance with each member state’s implementation of the directive: (i) specific information, (ii) timing, (iii) active choice, and (iv) freely given. The document provides further detail on each of the elements.