Cookies and legal notices

[TheMerchant617]

Hi guys,

I currently have an active website which was built using Website Builder from Godaddy (I realise it isn't everyone's taste but I'm a beginner) and I have a few questions.

Do I need to provide any notice about Cookies? I have seen conflicting information about this - some say that any site, whether it collects visitor data or not, whether it has a commercial element or not, must have a statement somewhere telling people that the site uses cookies. I've also seen that if a site is hosted by a service like Godaddy, no such notice is necessary. Can anyone clarify this for me please?

Secondly, are there any other legal notices I need to have on the site? I have no plans for the site to become somewhere people can buy things directly - instead I aim to make revenue through ad's, Amazon Affiliates and the likes.

In all honesty I just want to be 100% sure my site won't end up getting me in trouble if I don't have the correct legal information on there. If people are able to provide sources for their info, I'd be very grateful for the reassurance.

Thanks

 

[enlytend]

Outside of the US, there are countries which require cookie disclosure. There's plenty online about cookie laws in the UK and EU.

You will also need to comply with your advertisers and merchants terms. Adsense requires a privacy policy Mentioning the 3rd party cookies they set. https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/1348695?hl=en If you are promoting affiliate products, you should have a disclosure statement - this may be required by the program, and it is required by the FTC if you are doing reviews or endorsements.

When in doubt, disclose.

Hope this helps.

 

[cmdomains]

Amazon requires you to have disclosures in place as stated in link below (updated Feb 2016). From my previous searches, many associates say one would need to atleast have one page that users will easily notice which includes such disclosure and I think before it's updated , you can customize the statement. But it seems Amazon wants more now. Best to confirm with their support.

Amazon Program Operating Agreement (see #10 - Identifying Yourself as an Associate)
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/agreement/

 

[cmdomains]

^It's always good anyway cause it establishes that you are one to be trusted, no hiding anything.

 

[TheMerchant617]

Thanks guys, I've found a cookies policy template and currently working on this.

There is one cookie my site uses that I just can't seem to find an explanation of online. It's dps_site_id and I just want to find the best way to explain this to users, as I'm understand I need to name and describe each cookie. However across many sites, I haven't seen this one listed. Is it something that doesn't actually interact with a user?