UK law asks two things of a business website that collects anything about the people who use it: to ask before setting cookies it does not need, and to tell people what it collects and why. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the regulator that enforces both.

Does my website need a cookie banner?

Only if it sets cookies, or similar stores in the visitor's browser, that the site does not need to work, such as those of advertising or of content embedded from another company. A site that sets none needs no banner. The ICO's guidance on cookies sets out which need consent and which are exempt, an exemption that since 2025 covers some used only to count visits.

What counts as embedded content?

Anything a page loads from another company to show inside itself: a YouTube video, a Google map, an Instagram feed or a booking widget. Each may set cookies of its own, and the site that shows it is responsible for asking first. A link to the same video or map, opened on the other company's site, sets nothing on yours.

Do I need a privacy notice?

Yes, if the site collects personal information, such as a name and email address through a contact form, or a buyer's details through a checkout. The notice says what you collect, why, who else sees it (such as the payment company), how long you keep it, and how someone can ask for it or have it deleted. The ICO has a free privacy notice generator for small businesses.

Do I need to pay the ICO?

Most businesses that handle personal information must pay the ICO a yearly data protection fee, unless they are exempt. The ICO's self-assessment takes a few minutes and says whether you need to.

How does it work on miow?

miow sets no cookies on a site's visitors. Its visitor figures count each visitor without a cookie and without keeping their address, so a miow site needs no cookie banner for them. What you add can change that: a YouTube video, a map from "Show a map of each address" on a locations block, or an Adobe Fonts project each loads from that company. Messages from the contact form are kept in the site's Inbox, and a buyer's card details stay with Stripe. A privacy notice is a page like any other; Pages and the menu covers adding one.