EU and UK transparency

Cookie Policy

Last updated: April 8, 2026

Cookies can feel small, but for privacy they matter a lot. This page explains how Dividend Income Guide handles cookies and similar technologies for visitors in the European Union, the European Economic Area, and the United Kingdom. We want this to be simple: what is essential for the site to work can be used, and what is optional should wait for consent.

The ICO says organisations must provide clear and comprehensive information about storage and access technologies, and in many cases they must obtain consent before using them. Only limited exceptions apply. The same basic idea appears across EU guidance on consent and cookie banners. citeturn417168search16turn417168search13turn417168search18

What cookies and similar technologies are

A cookie is a small file placed on your device. Similar technologies can include local storage, pixels, tags, scripts, and device-side identifiers that store or read information from your browser or device. These tools can help a website remember choices, stay secure, measure traffic, or support advertising. The ICO explains that the rules cover cookies and similar technologies more broadly, not just traditional cookies. citeturn417168search10turn417168search19

Our current approach

At the time of this version, the public pages on Dividend Income Guide are designed to work without non-essential advertising or personalisation cookies. We do not intentionally rely on optional tracking cookies to make basic reading pages, glossary pages, or what-if pages work. Hosting, security, or load-balancing layers may still use strictly necessary technologies to keep the site online and safe.

If we later enable analytics, advertising, A/B testing, embedded media, or social sharing tools that use non-essential cookies or similar technologies, we should ask for consent before setting them for EU or UK users. European consent guidance requires consent to be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Pre-enabled consent for non-essential cookies is not the right approach. citeturn417168search4turn417168search15turn417168search22

Cookie categories

Category	Purpose	Consent needed?
Strictly necessary	Core site delivery, load balancing, basic security, fraud prevention, saving a consent choice, or similar functions that are genuinely needed for the service requested by the user.	Usually no, if the use fits a legal exemption.
Preferences	Remembering language, region, display preferences, or tool settings that improve convenience but are not strictly necessary.	Often yes, unless the setting is clearly requested and exempt.
Analytics	Measuring visits, engagement, click paths, and performance trends.	Yes in many EU and UK cases unless a specific exemption clearly applies.
Advertising and profiling	Personalised ads, retargeting, cross-site tracking, audience building, or similar marketing uses.	Yes. These should not be set before valid consent.
Embedded third-party media	Video players, social widgets, or external tools that may store identifiers or track interaction.	Usually yes if the technology is not strictly necessary.

Strictly necessary cookies and exceptions

The ICO guidance explains that only certain narrow exceptions can be used without consent. These include some uses that are strictly necessary to provide a service requested by the user or to transmit a communication. That does not mean every useful cookie is exempt. It means the exemption should be interpreted carefully. citeturn417168search25turn417168search5

How consent should work for EU users

Consent should be asked before non-essential cookies are placed or read
Choices should be clear and easy to understand
Rejecting should be as easy as accepting
People should be told what each category does and who sets it
Consent records should be kept where needed to show what choice was made
People should be able to change their mind later

The EDPB taskforce on cookie banners and the ICO both stress clear user choice and meaningful consent management. citeturn417168search18turn417168search13

How to manage cookies

If this site displays a consent banner or preference center, you can use it to accept, reject, or update optional cookie choices. You can also control cookies through browser settings, though browser controls may not always stop all similar technologies used by third parties. The ICO notes that users should get clear information and practical ways to make and change choices. citeturn417168search16turn417168search13

If you want to ask a question about cookies used on this site, email [email protected].

Third-party services

If we use third-party tools in the future for analytics, advertising, video embeds, or social sharing, those providers may set or read their own cookies or similar identifiers. We should describe them in this policy, in the consent banner, or both. We should also explain whether they act as processors or independent controllers where relevant.

Changes to this policy

This policy may change when we add analytics, ads, embedded tools, newsletters, or other features that rely on device storage or access technologies. If that happens, we should update this page before or when the new technology goes live.

This page gives general transparency information for the public site. It should be updated if your deployment later adds analytics, ad tech, third-party embeds, user accounts, or a consent management platform.