How to solve cookies in 2023

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They are used to improve the functioning and user experience of a website, and are divided into several categories according to their purpose and function. 

In this article, we will look at the three main categories of cookies:

Mandatory for site functionality

These cookies are the basic building blocks for the operation of a website. They are necessary for the proper functioning of the site and its basic functions, such as user login or shopping cart on e-shops. Without these cookies, some parts of the website would not work or would be unavailable. Mandatory cookies do not usually require user consent as they are necessary for the provision of services.

Statistical and preference cookies

Statistical cookies are used to measure traffic and track user behaviour on the website. They help site administrators gain insight into how the site is used and identify areas for improvement. These cookies can be set both by the website owners and by third parties, such as data analysis tools.

Preference cookies allow sites to remember user preferences, such as language, country, or display content based on the user's interests. These cookies allow websites to be tailored to the needs and expectations of a particular user.

Marketing cookies

Marketing cookies are used to target advertisements and marketing campaigns based on the user's interests and behaviour. They can be set by the website owners or by third parties, such as advertising networks or social media. These cookies help show relevant ads and offers that might be of interest to users, while reducing the display of irrelevant or repetitive ads.

Update from the Data Protection Authority

The cookie bar should meet the following requirements:

• Be visible and easy to understand.
• Contain a brief description of the purpose and category of cookies.
• Offer the option to consent to all cookies or only selected cookies.
• Allow the user to change or withdraw their consent at any time.
• To not store any cookies before giving consent.
• Respect the user's browser settings.

When creating a cookie bar, you also need to pay attention to the following points:

• You cannot use pre-filled checkboxes or consent buttons.
• It is not possible to use passive forms of consent, e.g. by continuing to browse the site.
• It is not possible to block access to the content of the site if you refuse to give consent.
• The period of validity of the consent and the period for re-displaying the cookie bar must be set within a reasonable range.

TIP: How to embed YouTube videos on the web without saving cookies

Embedding YouTube videos on your website may cause your visitors to save cookies. These cookies tend to be associated with tracking user behavior and ads. If you want to give your visitors more privacy and minimize the storage of cookies, you can use the following procedure to embed YouTube videos without cookies:

1. Visit the page of the YouTube video you want to embed on your site.
2. Click the "Share" button below the video.
3. In the window that opens, click "Copy HTML Code" (Embed) and copy the code provided.
4. Now you need to edit the copied code. In the code, find the URL of the video that starts with "https://www.youtube.com/embed/...".
5. Replace the "youtube.com" part of the URL with "youtube-nocookie.com". For example, if the original address was "https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123", edit it to "https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/abc123".
6. Paste the modified HTML code in the place where you want to display the video on your website.

As a result, the video will be displayed on your website using the "youtube-nocookie.com" domain, which means that no tracking or marketing cookies will be stored on visitors' devices unless the video is played. This ensures greater privacy for your visitors and minimizes the storage of cookies when embedding YouTube videos on your site.

How do I easily check in my browser which cookies are being stored?

To check which cookies are stored in your web browser, you can follow this simple procedure. Below we describe how to check the cookies in your browser using the developer tool, which can be easily opened by pressing F12.

1. Open your web browser and visit the page you want to check for cookies.
2. Press the F12 key on your keyboard to open the Developer Tools toolbar.
3. Find the "Application" or "Storage" tab in the Developer Toolbar, depending on the browser you are using.
4. Click on the "Application" or "Storage" tab and expand the "Cookies" section in the left menu.
5. Click on the domain name of the website you are visiting to see a list of cookies that are stored for that domain.

In this list, you will see the cookie names, values, domains, expiration paths, and other information. You can view and analyze each cookie to see what data is being stored and how long it will remain stored on your device.

If you want to delete some cookies, just right-click on the cookie name and select "Delete". This way you can easily manage the cookies stored in your browser.

How we handle cookies in Railsformers

One possible solution to the cookie bar is a service from Orest Bida, which offers the following features:

• Privacy policy text generator,
• updates in case of legislative changes,
• easy installation,
• Release of measurement codes only when the visitor agrees.

At Railsformers we use this solution on all our projects as it makes it easier to comply with the rules and increases the confidence of our clients and users. To implement Orest Bida's cookie bar, we use Google Tag Manager (GTM), which is a tool for managing tags and scripts on the web.