Mumsnet uses cookies to give you a better experience on site. In this article, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about managing your data options.
Why is there a new pop-up consent form?
We follow the recommendations of the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB UK). The new standard gives users even more choice over the data that can be collected and used – which is why you're now seeing a new pop-up with far more privacy options.
What personal data can you access? Do advertisers get our email addresses and, if so, are they able to read our emails too?
No – not at all. Neither we, nor any of our advertisers, can read your emails. We collect your email address when you register, but we do this to ensure posters are genuine people and we never pass your email address on to any advertisers or other third parties, unless this is something you opt-in to (for example on a competition entry form, where there might be an option to sign up to receive newsletters from the company). No one is able to access your personal information.
How do I revoke my cookie and privacy preferences?
You can reset any cookie and privacy permissions you’ve already set up with us and re-set up your preferred settings by clicking this link.
The new wording suggests we can opt-out of all advertising. Please can you confirm?
The pop-up and the options presented to you are not something that we can control. Those options and the wording have been set up by the IAB and we have to use what they are mandating. We agree it’s confusing, however rest assured that if you have chosen to opt-out then advertisers will need to honour your choices. This does not mean you will get no ads – it just means the ads won’t be personalised to you.
What exactly is the 'legitimate interest' which enables an advertiser to use our details?
This is to do with the GDPR rules, and we agree it is confusing. When a company wants to process your data, they either need to ask you for consent or they can declare they have a ‘legitimate interest’ to process the data. This means that they have a good reason as to why they do not need to ask for consent. For example, when someone posts on the site, we record the poster's IP address. We do this under ‘legitimate interest’ as we need to keep a record of posters' IP addresses so we can police malicious posters. Each company that declares a legitimate interest in processing your data will explain why in their privacy policy. You can find out more about legitimate interest on the Information Commissioner's Office website.
Is there an option to edit or change your choices at any time?
Yes, but it’s slightly complicated. If you want to update your settings you can use this link. But note that it doesn't actually function as a “settings page” where you can see what you've said before. Instead it’s what’s known as a revocation link – so when you click it, it assumes you wish to revoke your previous selections and starts the process again – so it appears that your preferences haven’t been saved. But rest assured any preferences you’ve told us before are definitely being saved, until you click the link for a subsequent time.
Does the grey colour indicate that you don't consent?
Grey would be ‘I do not consent.’ Blue indicates that you do consent. The software that controls the pop-up is provided by Google and we have limited control over what we can change. Unfortunately we’re not able to change the colour of the buttons to make it clearer or easier for people to understand.
I've just closed all pages and deleted the history on my iPhone, and when I logged into Mumsnet the consent page came up and I changed all settings to grey. Will I have to do this each time I log in?
No, you don’t need to do it each time you log in. You should only need to do it once. However your preferences are stored in a cookie so if you clear your cookies (this can sometimes happen when you clear your history), then you will see the pop-up again.
How can I update my preferences?
Google does not provide a mechanism for you to update your preferences. Instead, they prefer that you revoke all of your settings you’ve already set and restart the process. You can do that at any time from this link. Once the box appears click on the 'Manage consent' button, all the options you can consent to are displayed. You just need to click the toggle button to change your preferences, and this will change the colour to grey (‘I do not consent’) or blue ('I consent') depending on your preference. If you have any problems with this, please email us at [email protected].
I have put everything on grey, but adverts still come up on the side. Is this normal?
You can’t use this to turn advertising off altogether. If you put everything on grey, it just means you won't get ads that are personalised to you.
When you give permission for them to put cookies on your device, are they also putting cookies on all other devices that use the same router? Will other members of your household be tracked too?
No, the cookie is only stored on the device that you are using.
If you clear all cookies, can you still access things like your bank?
If you clear your cookies, you will need to log in to your bank's website again.
Why is it that on Mumsnet I have to move around so many sliders in order to opt-out?
The software that controls the pop-up is provided by Google and we don’t have control over the settings or buttons. There are a number of companies that provide this software and each of them has implemented it slightly differently – which is why you’re seeing different things on different sites. For example, you can see the Guardian are using a different system, but many of the options are the same.
Also many companies have yet to transition to the new standard and are still displaying the old ‘accept cookies’ notices that have been around since GDPR came into effect.
How do I clear my cookies?
Norton has a guide here on how to delete your cookies on different browsers.