This article explains what cookies are, when a cookie notification is required on your website and how to enable such a notification.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed by websites on visitors' computers, telephones and tablets. A cookie contains identification data that allows websites to recognize you, regardless of which device you use. This is valuable information, but because it can also violate privacy, the use of cookies is subject to legislation.

When should a cookie notification be displayed on my website?

Whether and which cookie notification you should place on your website depends entirely on which cookie types are used on your website. This determines whether, according to the ePrivacy Directive, a cookie notification must be shown to visitors to inform them that the website uses cookies.

A distinction is made between the following three cookie types:

1. Functional cookies
   These are cookies that are necessary for the functioning of your website. These may therefore be placed without the visitor's permission. These cookies are used, for example, to keep track of which products a visitor has placed in his shopping cart. No notification needs to be shown to the user to use these cookies.
2. Analytical cookies
   These cookies are necessary to collect statistics about your website. In most cases, these may be posted without permission, provided that user data is not collected and the information collected remains anonymous. A good example of this are the cookies from Google Analytics. It is important that Google Analytics is set up in such a way that visitors remain anonymous. This means that you are not allowed to collect demographic and remarketing data. Blossom has already arranged this for you in the Google Analytics plugin, you only have to enter into an editing agreement with Google as a school. This article explains exactly how to set this up in your Google Analytics environment.
   These analytics and functional cookies do not collect any personal data and have no privacy law aspect, which is why you do not have to show a cookie notification for these cookies.
3. Tracking/marketing cookies
   Marketing cookies are placed on your website to track visitors and collect information about their website behavior. These cookies are not used on the Blossom websites. However, when you use YouTube videos, a Twitter feed and/or the Google Map, you are obliged to use a cookie notification.

In summary, it can be said that when you use YouTube videos, a Twitter feed and/or the Google Map, a cookie message must also be shown on the website. In all other cases you are not obliged to show a cookie notification.

How do I enable the cookie notification?

The cookie notification is enabled by default on every website.