UK Tech News, a leading technology publication covering the UK tech ecosystem, has released a comprehensive update to its Cookie Policy, dated 4 June 2025. The policy, which applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the United Kingdom, outlines the website's use of cookies and similar tracking technologies. It also explains how user data is collected, stored, and shared with third parties for purposes ranging from functional site operation to marketing and analytics.
What the Policy Covers
The document begins by defining cookies, scripts, and web beacons – small files or code snippets that enable the website to function, remember user preferences, and monitor traffic. UK Tech News states that some cookies are strictly necessary for technical performance, such as maintaining shopping carts or storing login sessions, and these are placed without requiring prior consent. However, statistics, advertising, marketing, and social media cookies require explicit user permission via a pop-up banner on first visit.
The policy categorizes cookies into several types: technical or functional, statistics, advertising, marketing/tracking, and social media. Each category is explained in plain language, and a detailed table lists every cookie, its purpose, duration, and the data it stores. For instance, functional cookies from CloudFlare (like __cf_bm) filter bot requests, while those from Complianz (like cmplz_consented_services) store user consent preferences for up to 365 days.
Third-Party Services and Data Sharing
A significant portion of the policy is devoted to third-party services that place cookies on users' devices. These include Google various services (used for website development and marketing), Google Analytics (for statistics), Google reCAPTCHA (spam prevention), Google Fonts, Google Ads, and Google Ads Optimization. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X) cookies are employed for social sharing buttons and embedded content, while Criteo is used for remarketing. Other notable services include HubSpot (marketing automation), Hotjar (heat maps and screen recordings), Stripe (payment processing), WordPress (website development), Snowplow (analytics), and Elementor (content creation).
For each service, the policy indicates the purpose, data retention periods, and where the data is stored. Many third parties are based in the United States, raising considerations about data transfer under UK GDPR adequacy regulations. Third-party cookies often have expiration periods ranging from a few minutes to several years. For example, Facebook’s _fbp cookie lasts three months and tracks visits across websites, while Google Analytics’ _ga cookie stores pageview data for two years.
Consent Management and User Rights
UK Tech News uses Complianz as its consent management platform, which presents a pop-up banner on the user's first visit. Visitors can select which categories of cookies they allow – functional, statistics, marketing, etc. – and the consent is stored for 365 days. The policy also notes that users can withdraw consent at any time by adjusting their browser settings or using the manage consent button available on the site (though the button is only functional with JavaScript enabled).
Under GDPR and UK data protection law, users have clear rights: to know why their data is needed, to access it, to rectify or delete it, to revoke consent, to transfer data to another controller, and to object to processing. The policy provides contact details for exercising these rights: an email address (mydata@ex.comwearemvi.com) and a phone number (0208 150 8286). The policy also states that users can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if they feel their data is being mishandled.
Key Changes and Notable Details
One of the most detailed sections lists cookies under “Purpose pending investigation” for several services, including Criteo, One Signal, HubSpot, LinkedIn, and a large “Miscellaneous” category. This suggests that UK Tech News is still cataloging some tracking technologies, possibly those added by plugins or third-party integrations. Examples of such cookies include criteo_fast_bid_expires, onesignal-notification-prompt, and dozens of other named cookies whose specific functions have not yet been fully determined. This transparency is in line with best practices, as it allows users to see exactly what may be running on their devices even if the publisher is still verifying every element.
The policy also includes a section on “Vendors” and uses the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) to allow users to give or withdraw consent on a per-purpose basis for statistics and marketing. Users can also object to legitimate interest processing, another key GDPR requirement. The policy synchronises with cookiedatabase.org to keep cookie definitions up to date.
Implications for the Tech News Audience
As a publication serving the UK tech community, UK Tech News’s detailed cookie policy reflects the growing emphasis on privacy compliance among digital media companies. The list of over 150 distinct cookies illustrates the scale of data collection that even a mid-sized news site undertakes. For readers, this means that each visit triggers multiple data flows – from basic pageview counting to targeted advertising and social media tracking.
The inclusion of services like Criteo and Google Ads Optimization indicates that UK Tech News likely runs retargeting campaigns, showing advertisements to users based on their browsing behavior on and off the site. Similarly, the use of Hotjar suggests that the website records user interactions for usability improvements. While these practices are common, the policy makes it clear that users have the right to opt out of all non-essential tracking.
The policy’s last updated date (4 June 2025) and the synchronization with cookiedatabase.org (24 June 2026) show that UK Tech News intends to keep the policy current, though the future date may be a placeholder. Overall, the new Cookie Policy is a thorough, legally compliant document that attempts to balance the site’s operational needs with respect for user privacy. As data regulation continues to evolve – particularly with the UK's own post-Brexit data protection framework – such transparency will become increasingly standard across the industry.
Source:UKTN News