Cookies

Cookies are small text files that a website can store on your computer. Every time you request a page from a site that has set a cookie, your browser sends the cookie along and the site can read it. Cookies are handy for storing information, such as whether you are logged in. But they can also be a privacy issue.

Cookies and the cookie law

Because cookies can affect privacy, you are not allowed to set them freely. A cookie itself rarely contains personal information, but it can be used to follow you around the internet. Large companies like Google and Facebook, which place third-party cookies on almost every website, can track you across most of the web.
That is why the cookie law exists. It says you must ask for permission before you set cookies that your website does not strictly need.

What kinds of cookies are there?

There are three types of cookies. The difference is mainly in how they are set and what they are for.

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies are the ones your website needs to work properly. Think of user preferences and login details.

Cookies that measure behavior

The second category measures how visitors behave on a site. These are also called analytics cookies. They can store whether someone has visited the site before and which pages they looked at.

Cookies from other websites

When you put images, scripts, a tracking pixel or other elements from another website on your site, that site can set a cookie through your pages. A cookie from another website like this is called a third-party cookie.

Which cookies need consent?

You need consent for cookies that intrude on your visitors' privacy. There is an exception for cookies that are necessary or have only a small impact on privacy. Under the Dutch rules, that means you do not have to ask permission for necessary cookies and analytics cookies. For other cookies you do. Do you use a Facebook Like button, or show ads through Google AdSense? Then you have to ask for consent.