Cookie checker, in short
Free cookie audit with Cookiebot CMP
Cookies are the most used technology for tracking website visitors, as well as collecting and sharing their data for a range of purposes – like remembering log-in details or shopping cart contents, displaying targeted ads on your domain, or providing you with data about your website’s performance with its users.
But cookies are also notoriously privacy-unfriendlyas the data that they collect from users and share with third parties range from anonymized information to the highly private and sensitive data – like behavior, location, purchase history, preferences, orientations, convictions, beliefs, and personal traits.
Data privacy laws in theEU,California,UK,Canada,Australia,Brazil,South Africa, andNew Zealand(among many other countries and regions) have changed the ways in which your website can use cookies – in many places, strict rules apply.
Some require you toobtain prior consent from usersbefore running any cookies on your domain, while others require you to present your website’s visitors withchoices to opt-out– and almost all require that your website featuresprivacy noticesthat inform your users in detail aboutevery cookie in use on your domain.
Yes,every cookie and other tracking technology, including information on:
- Technical specifications,
- Provider,
- Purpose,
- Where data is sent to,
- And what kinds of data are collected.
But knowing all cookies on your website is only half the job done – because once you’ve managed to get full transparency, most data privacy laws alsorequire you to be able to control themand, more importantly,to hand over control to your website’s visitors.
In short,transparencyandcontrolare the two most important things for you to get right when it comes to data privacy compliance on your website.
And this is difficult to achieve if you don’t have a cookie audit tool like our CMP at your disposal.
What cookies does my website use?
Websites come in many different shapes and sizes, but almost all use cookies for purposes ranging from basic site function to intricate end-user tracking.
Protecting the data privacy of your website’s visitors really comes down toknowingandcontrollingyour website’s cookies.
Exactlywhat types of cookiesyourwebsiteuses depends on several things, such as if you use third-party services likeGoogle AnalyticsorHubSpot, if you use social media plugins or if you embed videos, if you have a web shop or if you display ads on your domain.
Did you know that websites on average use 20 cookies?
Third-party services will setthird-party cookies on your website, and these will often collect and share end-user data that fall under the legal definitions ofpersonal data/personal information– like search and browser history, IP addresses, cross-website tracking information, user behavior on a website, device data, shopping history, and much more…
Websites typically have several third-party cookies in use thatrequire the right compliance solutionsto run legally in the several major regions of the world.
Common third-party cookies that most websites use includeGoogle Analytics cookiesthat measure website traffic and conversion rates on your domain. These are regulated by data privacy laws in large parts of the world (EU,UK,Canada,California,South Africaand many other places).
But your website may also have cookies that you’re not even aware of and unable to detect yourself, since –
72% of cookieson websites are loaded in secret by other-third party cookies.
18% of cookieson websites are “trojan horses”, i.e. cookies that hide as deep as within eight other cookies, loading each other without your knowledge.
50% of trojan horseswill change on repeated visits by users to your website.
Source:Beyond the Front Page, a 2020 research paper on website cookies.
Learn more about Google Analytics and cookies
Learn more about HubSpot and cookies
Google ending third-party cookies? New technologies will still need consent.
Cookie checker with Cookiebot CMP
World-leading cookie audit with Cookiebot CMP
Cookiebot CMPbyUsercentricsis an automated data privacy compliance solution built around the world’s most powerful cookie checker that scans your website anddetects every tracking technologyin use on your domain.
Alongside theautomatic cookie checker, wealsotake controlof all trackers on your domain and offers your end-users achoice of consentoropt-outthroughhighly customizable bannersandinterfaceson your domain.
Implemented straight from the cloud, our solution is quick and easy to use, and automatically detects where in the world your website’s visitors are located to ensure the right compliance solution with the data privacy law in effect in that country or region.
Cookie checker for good customer relations
A cookie audit is not just about data law compliance. Building trust with the end-users of your website has become increasingly important as data privacy is fast becoming a metric of brand reputation itself.
When asked why they left a brand,80% of consumerssay they left because the brand was using their data without consent.
But balancing data privacy compliance against your data-driven business and needs for insights into your domain’s performance can be complicated.
With Cookiebot CMP, it’s easy and automatic.
Helping websites all over the world strike a sustainable balance between data privacy and data-driven business is the purpose of Cookiebot CMP – to foster an internet economy that works for both the end-user and your website.
That’s why Cookiebot CMP works seamlessly withGoogle Consent Modethat lets you run popular Google-services (like Google Analytics) based on the consent state of your website’s visitors, ensuring that youstill get performance and conversion data even if end-users opt out of cookies and trackers on your domain.
Cookiebot CMPis free if you have a small website (under 50 subpages) and integrates withHubSpot,Umbraco,Google Analytics,Google Tag Manager,WordPress,IABand more.
Try Cookiebot CMP free for 14 days– or forever if you have a small website.
Get started with Google Consent Mode and Cookiebot CMP
Scan your website with our free cookie checker to see what cookies are in use
Learn more about compliance with EU’s GDPR
Learn more about compliance with UK’s GDPR
Learn more about compliance with California’s CCPA/CPRA
Cookie checker, in detail
What are cookies? And what cookies does your website use?
Okay, so what are cookies anyway?
Cookies are units of data that were invented in the early 90s, named after the fortune cookie because of their structures as containers bearing a message. And that’s exactly what cookies are, only the message can be all kinds of data, even the most private and sensitive information about an individual.
Initially designed to function as the recall of a website, cookies have developed over the last 30 years to become the supply chains of the internet economy, harvesting vast amounts of data from end-users that is then grouped, profiled and, in turn, sold in real-time bidding auctions for targeted advertisem*nt online, among many other purposes.
A 2019 Cookiebot CMP report revealed how third-party cookies from Google and Facebook were hiding on EU government and health websites, collecting sensitive data about users without their consent.
With data privacy laws emerging all over the world – from state-level bills in the US to an upcoming new ePrivacy Regulation in the EU – cookies, trackers and the tracking technologies of tomorrow are expected to be even more regulated. And it all comes down to what happens on your website.
Learn more about compliance with the EU’s GDPR
Does my website use different cookies?
Broadly speaking, cookies come in four types –
- Necessary cookies
- Preference cookies
- Statistics cookies
- Marketing cookies
Only necessary cookies are exempt (e.g. from consent requirements in the EU), nonetheless you still need toknow of them and tell your end-users about theminyour website’s privacy notice/privacy policy.
Statistics and marketing cookies make up the majority of trackers on most websites today, because they’re often third-party cookies that are set on your website when you use third-party services, likeGoogle Analytics,HubSpot, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.
These cookies always need theprior granular consent of end-users, or (in California) the end-users need to be presented with a choice of opting-out of having these cookies collect their data.
But aren’t third-party cookies being replaced? Do I even need a cookie checker?
Maybe you’ve heard thatthird-party cookies are slowly being replaced with new tracking technologies?
It’s true that third-party cookies are being phased out in many website browsers, includingChromeandSafari, but the new technologies poised to replace them still operate in the same way: collecting and processing user data for different purposes.
In other words, personal data/personal information will still be processed by these new technologies, andend-user consent(in theEU,UK,South AfricaandBrazil) as well asopt-out options(inCaliforniaand soonVirginiatoo) will still be needed if your website is to use them in a legal way.
In fact, a cookie is already an umbrella term that covers many different tracking technologies, such as –
- HTTPS/JavaScript cookies
- HTML5 Local Storage
- Flash Local Shared Object
- Silverlight Isolated Storage
- IndexedDB
- Ultrasound beacons
- Pixel tags
Usinga cookie checker like Cookiebot CMPenables you to know exactly what cookies your website uses, to control them and to offer end-users consent and opt-out choices.
Third-party cookies being replaced? See why you still need end-user consent
Summary: check cookies with Cookiebot CMP
Automatic compliance in plug-and-play solution with Cookiebot CMP
Maybe you started reading this article and was asking yourself:does my website use cookies?
By now you should be pretty sure thatyes, your website does indeed use cookies… but which ones? And how many? Where do they come from, and what data do they collect from the people visiting your website? How can you control their function, so that your website is in full compliance with the data privacy laws in effect around the world? And how can you make sure that your website still receives the data that you need to get insights into its performance and conversions?
Bysigning up to Cookiebot CMP, you get the world’s most powerful cookie checker in an automatic and easy-to-use compliance solution that fits every major data privacy law in the world.
Try Cookiebot CMP with Google Consent Modeto ensure insights and analytics to your data-driven business on the basis of the consent state of your end-users.
FAQ
Does my website use cookies?
Yes, almost certainly your website uses cookies. On average, websites use around 20 cookies. In fact, 72% of cookies are loaded in secret by other third-party cookies, making them extremely hard to detect without a powerful cookie scanner.
Scan your website for free with the Cookiebot CMP cookie checker
What cookies does my website use?
What cookies your website uses depends on what functionalities and third-party services you have integrated onto your domain. For example, using Google Analytics on your website will set third-party cookies. Using third-party services means having third-party cookies on your website – all of these require prior consent from end-users in the EU/UK and opt-out options for users in California, among other countries and regions.
How do I know if my website uses cookies?
Unless your use a cookie checker or a cookie audit tool like Cookiebot CMP, it’s hard to know exactly what cookies, trackers and other “trojan horses” might be running beneath the surface of your website. Many third-party cookies will be loaded within other cookies, or will have changed on repeated visits by users, making it practically impossible for you as the website owner/operator to always have a full overview without a powerful website cookie checker.
Scan your website for free with the Cookiebot CMP cookie audit tool
How do I identify cookies?
Knowing what cookies are on your site can be a tricky thing, especially without any cookie tester tools. Using a website cookie checker like Cookiebot CMP enables you to always automatically have full transparency over every cookie and tracking technology in use on your website.
Can cookies identify you personally?
Yes, many cookies – especially third-party cookies – collect and share data that is highly personal and private. Cookies commonly collect IP addresses, search and browser history, device information, cross-browser data, and much more. By inference and by combination with other data points, cookies and other tracking technologies enable the personal identification of users.
Are cookies bad?
Cookies are just small text files, technology that is neither good nor bad in itself. It’s what cookies can do that can be very privacy-infringing to end-users. Cookies can collect information such as behavior, appearance, traits, preferences, sexual orientation, political convictions and religious beliefs.
How do I know if I have third-party cookies?
If you use third-party services on your website, you will have third-party cookies. For example, using Google Analytics or HubSpot, social media plugins from Facebook or Twitter, or embedded videos from YouTube or Vimeo on your domain will set third-party cookies.
Do all websites use cookies?
Almost all websites in the world use cookies, whether their owners/operators are aware of it or not. Cookies are by far the most used technology for tracking, collecting, and sharing data from website visitors. Using a cookie checker like Cookiebot CMP can help you get full transparency over which cookies are in use on your website.
How do I know if my website uses cookies?
Use a cookie checker like Cookiebot CMP to scan and detect all cookies, trackers and “trojan horses” on your website. The Cookiebot CMP cookie audit tool is the most powerful cookie checker/website scanner in the world.
What types of website cookies are there?
Cookies fall into four categories: necessary, preference, statistics and marketing cookies. Only cookies strictly necessary for the basic function of your website are exempt from data privacy law requirements, while all other cookies are regulated and require prior consent or opt-out options, depending on where in the world your end-users are located.
How do you do a cookie audit?
With the Cookiebot CMP cookie audit tool, you simply enter the URL of your website and our cookie checker automatically scans your website and finds all cookies and other tracking technologies present and in use.
What cookies are on my site? Get a free cookie check with Cookiebot CMP
Are cookies personal data under GDPR?
Yes, most of the data that cookies collect are classified as personal data under the GDPR. This includes IP addresses, search and browser history, and device information. If you’re unsure whether your website collects personal data, try the free compliance test by Cookiebot CMP.
Resources
Try the Cookiebot CMP website cookie checker for free
Get started with Google Consent Mode
WordPress cookie checker with Cookiebot CMP
Learn more about Google Analytics cookies
Learn more about compliance with the EU’s GDPR
Learn more about compliance with the UK’s GDPR
Learn more about compliance with California’s CCPA/CPRA
Learn more about compliant website tracking
Beyond the Front Page, a 2020 research paper on website cookies.
As a data privacy and compliance expert, I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in navigating the complex landscape of online privacy regulations. My understanding extends beyond theoretical concepts, as I've actively engaged in implementing and advising on compliance solutions for various websites and organizations.
Now, let's delve into the key concepts highlighted in the article about Cookiebot CMP and the importance of cookie auditing for data privacy compliance:
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Cookies and Their Significance:
- Cookies are fundamental units of data invented in the early 90s, serving as containers bearing messages. Originally designed for website recall, cookies have evolved into integral components of the internet economy's supply chains.
- They collect vast amounts of data from end-users, which are then profiled, grouped, and often sold for targeted online advertising and other purposes.
-
Types of Cookies:
- Necessary cookies: Essential for basic website functionality, exempt from some consent requirements (e.g., in the EU).
- Preference cookies: Capture user preferences.
- Statistics cookies: Commonly used for analytics, requiring prior granular consent.
- Marketing cookies: Used for targeted advertising, also requiring prior consent.
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Data Privacy Laws:
- Data privacy laws, such as the GDPR in the EU, CCPA in California, and similar regulations in various countries, have altered the ways websites can use cookies.
- Strict rules often mandate obtaining prior consent, providing opt-out choices, and featuring detailed privacy notices for users.
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Challenges with Third-Party Cookies:
- Third-party cookies, like those from Google Analytics, may collect and share user data, subject to regulation.
- A significant portion of cookies (72%) is loaded in secret by other third-party cookies, presenting challenges in detection and compliance.
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Role of Cookiebot CMP:
- Cookiebot CMP by Usercentrics is an automated data privacy compliance solution equipped with a powerful cookie checker.
- It scans websites, detects tracking technologies, takes control of trackers, and offers end-users choices of consent or opt-out through customizable banners.
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Balancing Compliance and Business Needs:
- Achieving compliance is crucial for trust-building, as evidenced by the statistic that 80% of consumers leave brands that misuse their data without consent.
- Cookiebot CMP aims to strike a balance between data privacy compliance and the data-driven needs of businesses.
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New Technologies and Cookiebot CMP:
- While third-party cookies are being phased out, new tracking technologies still require consent.
- Cookiebot CMP, through its cookie checker, ensures transparency, control, and compliance with evolving privacy laws.
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Integration and Free Offer:
- Cookiebot CMP integrates with various platforms like HubSpot, Umbraco, Google Analytics, and more.
- It offers a free version for small websites (under 50 subpages) and a 14-day trial for others.
In conclusion, the article emphasizes the critical role of transparency and control in achieving data privacy compliance on websites, highlighting the necessity of tools like Cookiebot CMP for effective cookie auditing and management.
