There are many internet management tools designed online especially for you to remove tracking cookies and help you to remain safe from identity theft. These privacy and identity monitoring protection and alert tools can help you to delete ad tracking. As a precaution, you should set your browser to block cookies by default if you want to. When and Why Blogs Collect Personal Information. Blogs, like other websites, deploy multiple technologies to attract, engage, convert and serve their audiences.

1. Cookie 5 8 4 – Protect Your Online Privacy Protection Screen
2. Cookie 5 8 4 – Protect Your Online Privacy Protections
3. Cookie 5 8 4 – Protect Your Online Privacy Protection Act

What other steps can I take to protect my privacy online?

The internet offers many opportunities and have a lot of useful information and resources that are available at your fingertips. Use these precautions to make your web surfing experience a safe and enjoyable one.

1. Before you enter personally identifying information like your name, email address, credit card info, and other similar sensitive information, check to see if the website has a privacy policy page. If it is missing a privacy page, leave the site and find a similar site or service that has a policy protecting your personal information. Don't take the risk of identity theft or worse with untrusted or shady sites. If they didn't bother to formulate and enforce a privacy policy, they aren't worth trusting with your sensitive information.

2. Do not leave personal information that you aren't comfortable disclosing. If you feel the information being requested is way too intrusive or personal or irrelevant to the service or content you're trying to get from the site, leave the website and try to find a similar website that asks fewer prying questions.

3. When using social networking sites or forums or chat sites, make sure to put some thought into what you're posting. Search engines are extremely powerful and can dig up random posts and messages on the internet. If you don't want your identity know when posting to public forums or publicly accessible areas, use a newly created email address and account with no personally identifying information.

4. If you're using an “always on” network connection, make sure to install and maintain a firewall. Firewall software prevents your computer from hacking and remote attacks.

5. Manage your passwords responsibly. Do not use the same password among all websites you join. Make sure that the password you use for encrypted or secure sites are different from less secure sites you visit. Don't use the same password you use for your credit cards or bank accounts for your online accounts and vice versa.

Data protection and privacy laws are particularly important for online businesses which handle personal electronic data or use cookies.

Data protection considerations

The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) is designed to regulate the use of personal data by businesses and other organisations. The DPA is the main legislation implementing the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in the UK.

Anyone processing personal data must ensure that it is:

• used fairly, lawfully and in a transparent manner;

• collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes;

• adequate, relevant and its collection limited to what is necessary;

• accurate and kept up to date;

• kept in a form that enables identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary;

• handled according to the data protection rights of individuals;

• kept secure and not transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) without adequate protection.

From 25 May 2018, organisations that determine the purpose for which personal data is processed (i.e. data controllers) must pay the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) a data protection fee unless they are exempt. To find out more about the data protection fee, see the guidance on the ICO's website.

Cookies are files stored on a computer’s browser by websites which can be used for various purposes, often related to marketing or advertising.

GDPR

If you use cookies to uniquely identify a device or the person using that device, it is considered personal data under the GDPR. This means that cookies used for analytics, advertising and functional services come within the ambit of the GDPR. To be compliant, you'll need to stop collecting cookies that uniquely identify individuals or find a lawful ground to collect and process that data, for example, consent.

Such consent must be:

• given through a clear affirmative action, such as clicking an opt-in box or choosing settings or preferences on a settings menu. Simply visiting a website doesn’t count as consent.

• given freely and genuinely

It must be as easy to withdraw consent as it is to give it. This means that if you want to tell people to block cookies if they don’t give their consent, you must make them accept cookies first. You must also give people the option to change their mind, i.e. by providing an opt-out option. This is especially important if you wish to implement the 'soft opt-in' option.

Cookie 5 8 4 – Protect Your Online Privacy Protection Screen

Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations

Cookie 5 8 4 – Protect Your Online Privacy Protections

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) set out certain online marketing obligations and govern the use of cookies (also known as the Cookie Law).

Under the PECR, websites cannot use 'non essential' cookies unless the consent of the user is expressly given - in other words, users must first opt-in before such cookies can be deployed.

Non-essential cookies are those which are used for analytical purposes or to assist with advertising. Even cookies which customise a website (such as providing a greeting message) are deemed to be non essential.

Essential cookies are generally those which enable an online checkout process to work properly - or if required for technical or security purposes.

Failure to comply with the Cookie Law can lead to fines of up to £500,000. There are also smaller penalties, such as being sent an information notice or an enforcement notice.

A website privacy policy helps to reassure visitors that their personal data is protected and can assist in compliance with the GDPR and the Cookie Law.

Cookie 5 8 4 – Protect Your Online Privacy Protection Act