Is my website compliant?

We live in changing times, when it comes to the Internet. These are times of conflict and unpleasant truths about privacy and democracy. The bright-eyed optimism of the late 90s tech boom has dispersed into alert disbelief at the misuse of private data and the digital interference in national elections. It is a confusing time to be sure. But it’s important and comfortably clarifying to know that there are laws in place, and laws being drafted, to both secure and fortify the right to privacy online, offline and in the in-betweens of the two.

The methods for tracking internet users and their digital habits are becoming ever more sophisticated. The purpose of website visitor tracking is for organizations, companies, websites etc. to gain insight into their users. This insight serves to optimise user-friendliness and user experience. It also serves statistical purposes, for customization, for commerce, and for profiling and targeted marketing.

When EU citizens visit their governments online, or when they access public health service resources about sensitive issues such as pregnancy, sexual health, cancer or mental illness, more than 100 commercial companies are systemically and invisibly tracking them. Once collected, this data can be resold via data brokers to organizations both in- and outside the advertising industry.