Cookie Categories For UK Cookie Policies
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Understand key cookie categories used in UK cookie policies and why they matter for compliance, transparency, and user trust. For broader guidance, explore our AI Generated British Cookie Policy resources.
Purpose | Common Duration Type | Consent Requirement | Example Explanation | Review Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Strictly necessary | ||||
Enable core website functions requested by the user, such as page navigation and access to secure areas. | Both | Usually not required | These cookies are needed for the website to work and cannot usually be switched off. | Confirm each cookie is essential to provide a service requested by the user, not merely useful to the business. |
Remember items in a basket, checkout state and transaction progress during an online purchase. | Both | Usually not required | These cookies keep your basket and checkout details available while you use our shop. | Check whether the cookie is limited to basket or checkout functionality and is not used for marketing retargeting. |
Keep users logged in and maintain secure account sessions. | Both | Usually not required | These cookies identify you after you sign in and help keep your account session secure. | Confirm duration is proportionate and explain any persistent remember-me functionality separately. |
Route requests to the correct server and keep the website stable during a visit. | Session | Usually not required | These cookies help distribute website traffic so pages load reliably. | Check the cookie is only used for technical routing or service availability and expires promptly. |
Store cookie choices so the website can respect consent, refusal or withdrawal preferences. | Persistent | Usually not required | These cookies remember your cookie choices and help us apply them on future visits. | Check it records only necessary consent status data and is not bundled with analytics or advertising identifiers. |
Security | ||||
Detect suspicious activity, prevent abuse and protect accounts, forms and transactions. | Both | Depends on implementation | These cookies help us identify security risks and protect the website from misuse. | Assess whether the cookie is strictly necessary for security or also supports profiling, analytics or advertising. |
Distinguish humans from automated traffic and protect forms from spam or abuse. | Both | Depends on implementation | These cookies help verify that forms are submitted by real users and not bots. | Identify third-party providers, transfers and whether the tool sets tracking cookies beyond security needs. |
Analytics | ||||
Measure visits, page views, traffic sources and user journeys to improve website performance. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies tell us how visitors use our website so we can improve pages and content. | Do not set before consent unless a valid exemption applies document provider, retention and IP handling. |
Allow external analytics providers to measure website use and produce reports for the website operator. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help third-party analytics services provide reports about how our website is used. | Name the provider, check international transfers, retention, data sharing and whether advertising features are enabled. |
Produce aggregated statistics about audience size, repeat visits and content popularity. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help us understand which pages are popular using aggregated usage statistics. | Check whether statistics are truly aggregated and whether device identifiers or cross-site tracking are used. |
Record technical errors, crashes and diagnostic events to improve reliability. | Both | Depends on implementation | These cookies help us identify technical problems and improve website reliability. | Determine whether diagnostics are essential for service security or non-essential analytics requiring consent. |
Preferences | ||||
Remember the user's selected language or regional display setting. | Persistent | Depends on implementation | These cookies remember your chosen language so pages appear in your preferred format. | Check whether the setting was actively requested by the user and whether it is necessary or optional personalisation. |
Remember accessibility settings such as text size, contrast or display preferences. | Persistent | Depends on implementation | These cookies remember accessibility choices so the site is easier for you to use. | Assess whether the user requested the setting and avoid combining it with analytics or profiling. |
Functional | ||||
Remember non-essential form choices, interface settings or optional website customisations. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies remember optional settings to make the website more convenient for you. | Separate convenience features from strictly necessary functions and provide a clear opt-in where required. |
Enable live chat, support sessions and continuity of customer service conversations. | Both | Usually required | These cookies allow us to provide live chat and remember your support conversation during a visit. | Check if the chat tool sets third-party identifiers, records transcripts or enables marketing follow-up. |
Enable embedded video playback, player settings and related media features. | Both | Usually required | These cookies allow embedded videos to play and remember video player settings. | Identify the video provider and check whether playback cookies also support advertising or cross-site tracking. |
Enable embedded maps, location display and route-planning features. | Both | Usually required | These cookies allow interactive maps and location features to work on our website. | Check whether the map provider sets third-party cookies or processes location data for its own purposes. |
Enable social sharing buttons, embedded posts and interaction with social media platforms. | Both | Usually required | These cookies let you share content or view embedded social media features. | Disclose platform providers and check tracking, profiling and third-party data sharing before loading plugins. |
Preferences | ||||
Personalise content, recommendations or layout based on previous interactions. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help us show content and recommendations that are more relevant to you. | Consider UK GDPR transparency, profiling, lawful basis and whether special category inferences could arise. |
Other | ||||
Deliver, measure and personalise advertising or marketing campaigns. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help us show adverts and measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. | Use explicit opt-in consent, identify ad partners and explain profiling, measurement and data sharing. |
Recognise users across websites to retarget ads or build advertising audiences. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies may recognise your browser across websites to show relevant adverts. | Check third-party controller roles, consent strings, partner lists and whether users can withdraw consent easily. |
Attribute sales, referrals or commissions to affiliate partners. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help us record when a referral or affiliate link leads to a purchase. | Disclose affiliate networks, attribution windows and whether identifiers are shared with third parties. |
Analytics | ||||
Show alternative page versions and measure which version performs better. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help us test different page designs and improve website content. | Check whether testing is essential, whether users are profiled and whether third-party testing tools set identifiers. |
Strictly necessary | ||||
Support secure payment processing, checkout validation and transaction completion. | Both | Usually not required | These cookies help process payments securely and complete your transaction. | Confirm use is limited to payment security or transaction completion and identify any payment provider cookies. |
Remember legal compliance confirmations, such as age gate status or required warnings seen. | Persistent | Depends on implementation | These cookies remember whether you have completed required access checks or seen important notices. | Check whether the cookie is legally or technically necessary for access, or merely a convenience feature. |
Preferences | ||||
Remember a chosen location, store region or delivery area for website content. | Persistent | Depends on implementation | These cookies remember your selected location so we can show local content or delivery options. | Distinguish user-selected region from device location tracking and consider consent for precise location data. |
Functional | ||||
Manage feedback forms, surveys, pop-up frequency and whether a survey was dismissed. | Both | Usually required | These cookies help us manage surveys and avoid showing the same feedback request repeatedly. | Check whether survey tools collect personal data, analytics identifiers or marketing preferences. |
Other | ||||
Link website visits to email campaigns and measure campaign engagement. | Persistent | Usually required | These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with pages after clicking an email link. | Coordinate cookie consent with PECR rules on electronic mail marketing and campaign tracking transparency. |
Identify or recognise a device using browser, device or network characteristics rather than a cookie file. | Persistent | Usually required | Similar technologies may recognise your device using technical information from your browser. | Treat similar tracking technologies like cookies for PECR purposes and assess transparency, consent and profiling risks. |
Which UK Cookie Categories Usually Need Consent?
In the UK, most cookies that are not strictly necessary require prior consent under PECR, including analytics, advertising, preference, functional enhancement and social media cookies. Consent should be collected before the cookie is set, unless the cookie is genuinely essential to provide a service requested by the user.
What Should A UK Cookie Policy Say About Cookie Categories?
- Separate essential from non-essential cookies: do not describe analytics, marketing or personalisation cookies as essential unless they are technically required to deliver a requested service.
- Explain purposes in plain English: users should be able to understand what each category does, such as remembering basket contents, measuring visits or enabling fraud prevention.
- State duration clearly: distinguish session cookies from persistent cookies and give retention periods where possible.
- Check third-party use: analytics, advertising, embedded media, maps, chat tools and social plugins often involve third-party cookies and may require additional transparency.
- Review consent settings: UK guidance expects non-essential cookies to be off until valid consent is given, with an easy way for users to refuse or withdraw consent.
When Are Security Cookies Exempt In The UK?
Security cookies may be strictly necessary where they are used for authentication, fraud prevention, load balancing or protecting a service requested by the user. However, security-labelled cookies used for analytics, profiling or cross-site tracking should be treated as non-essential and reviewed carefully.
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FAQs
UK cookie policies commonly group cookies as strictly necessary, analytics or performance, functionality, targeting or advertising, and social media cookies.
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