UK Tech News, a leading technology publication covering the British tech ecosystem, has published an updated Cookie Policy effective from 4 June 2025. The policy is specifically tailored for citizens and legal permanent residents of the United Kingdom, aligning with the UK's data protection framework post-Brexit, which largely mirrors the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
What Are Cookies and Related Technologies?
The policy begins by defining cookies as small text files stored on a user's device when they visit a website. These files enable the website to remember information about the user's session, preferences, or actions. In addition to cookies, the policy covers scripts—pieces of program code that make the website interactive—and web beacons (also called pixel tags), which are invisible images used to monitor traffic and user behaviour. All these technologies are collectively referred to as 'cookies' in the document for simplicity.
Categories of Cookies Used
The policy breaks down cookies into five main categories based on their purpose:
- Technical or functional cookies: These are essential for the website to operate correctly. They maintain user preferences, keep items in a shopping cart during payment, and remember login states. UK Tech News states it can place these without seeking prior consent, as they are strictly necessary.
- Statistics cookies: Used to understand how users interact with the site, such as which pages are most visited and how users navigate. The website asks for permission before placing these cookies, which are analytical in nature.
- Advertising cookies: These personalise advertisements shown to users based on their browsing habits both on and off the site. A unique ID is assigned to each visitor to prevent repetition of the same ad. Consent is required because these are categorised as tracking cookies.
- Marketing/Tracking cookies: Broader than advertising cookies, these are used to build user profiles for targeted marketing across multiple websites. They also fall under tracking categories and require consent.
- Social media cookies: Content from platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) is embedded on the website for sharing or liking articles. These third parties set their own cookies, which can store and process personal data for personalised advertising. Users must consent to these as well.
Third-Party Services and Their Cookies
A significant portion of the policy is dedicated to listing all third-party services that place cookies through the website, along with the specific cookies set, their expiration times, and their functions. This level of transparency is in line with best practices and regulatory expectations. Key services include:
Google Various Services
Functional and marketing cookies. Google's google_auto_fc_cmp_setting stores consent preferences persistently, while __gpi is used for marketing purposes related to Google's advertising ecosystem.
CloudFlare
Functional cookies for content delivery network (CDN) services. __cf_bm helps filter bot traffic and expires after 30 minutes.
Criteo
Marketing cookies for remarketing. The cto_bundle cookie lasts 13 months and provides cross-page functionality.
Google Analytics
Statistics cookies such as _ga (2 years), _gid (1 day), and _ga_ (1 year) store and count pageviews to help the site understand traffic patterns.
PHP
Functional cookie exp for providing functions across pages. Data is not shared with third parties.
Complianz
Functional cookies for cookie consent management. Cookies like cmplz_tcf_consent, cmplz_marketing, and cmplz_statistics store the user's consent choices and preferences, with a 365-day expiration.
One Signal
Marketing cookies for push notifications. isPushNotificationsEnabled and isOptedOut are persistent.
Google reCAPTCHA
Functional and marketing cookies for spam prevention. _grecaptcha lasts 6 months, while rc::a, rc::b, and rc::c are session-based and help filter bot activity.
WordPress
Functional cookies for website development. Cookies like wordpress_logged_in_ and wp_lang store login status and language preferences.
Stripe
Functional cookie __stripe_mid (1 year) for fraud prevention during payment processing.
HubSpot
Marketing, statistics, and functional cookies for marketing automation. __hstc (13 months) stores time of visit, hubspotutk (13 months) tracks visitor identity, and __hssc (30 minutes) stores anonymised statistics.
Hotjar
Functional and statistics cookies for heat maps and screen recordings. _hjSession_ is session-based, while _hjSessionUser_ lasts 1 year.
Marketing and functional cookies from Facebook. _fbp (3 months) tracks visits across websites, fr (3 months) provides ad delivery or retargeting, and datr (2 years) provides fraud prevention.
Google Fonts
Marketing cookie (expires immediately) that reads the user's IP address to display webfonts.
Functional cookie local_storage_support_test (persistent) for load balancing, and marketing cookie metrics_token (persistent) to track if embedded content was seen.
Functional, marketing, statistics, and preferences cookies. lidc (1 day) provides load balancing, lms_ads (30 days) tracks visits, and bcookie (1 year) stores browser details.
Google Ads Optimization and Google Ads
Marketing cookies for advertising. 1p_jar (1 month) provides ad delivery, and ads/ga-audiences (expires immediately) stores information for remarketing.
Snowplow
Statistics cookie _sp_id (2 years) stores a unique user ID for website analytics.
Elementor
Statistics (anonymous) cookie elementor (persistent) stores actions performed on the website.
Miscellaneous
Multiple cookies with 'purpose pending investigation' are listed, including __gads, __eoi, and mp_ from various unknown services. The policy notes that data sharing for these is still under investigation.
Consent Management and User Rights
When a user first visits the website, a pop-up appears explaining the use of cookies. The user can then select which categories of cookies they consent to by clicking 'Save preferences'. The policy notes that if JavaScript is disabled (e.g., on AMP pages), a manual consent button is provided at the bottom of the page. The TCF (Transparency and Consent Framework) vendor list is also unavailable without JavaScript.
The policy includes a section on vendors, listing partners with whom data is shared. For each vendor, the user can see the legal bases (Consent or Legitimate Interest), maximum cookie expiration, whether non-cookie storage and access are used, and the purposes for data processing. Users can provide or withdraw consent for specific purposes, and they have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interest. Special features and special purposes are also detailed, such as using precise geolocation data or matching data to offline sources.
Users can manage cookies through their browser settings, including automatic or manual deletion, or by specifying restrictions. However, disabling all cookies may impair website functionality. If cookies are deleted, they will be re-placed upon the next visit after consent is given.
The policy reminds users of their rights under UK data protection law: the right to know why personal data is collected and how it is used; the right of access to personal data; the right to rectify, correct, or delete data; the right to revoke consent; the right to data portability; and the right to object to processing. To exercise these rights, users can contact the publisher using the details provided.
Contact Details and Policy Synchronisation
UK Tech News is published by Tech City News, with a registered address at 124 City Roads, London, England, EC1V 2NX. The website can be contacted via email at mydata@ex.comwearemvi.com and by phone at 0208 150 8286. The policy was last synchronised with cookiedatabase.org on 8 July 2026, ensuring it stays up-to-date with industry standardised cookie descriptions.
The updated Cookie Policy reflects the ongoing efforts by publishers to comply with UK regulations while maintaining transparency with their audience. By providing a detailed list of every cookie and its purpose, UK Tech News gives users meaningful choice and control over their personal data.
Source: UKTN News