Business programme
Start-Up, Scale-Up by Lloyds Bank Academy
Cookies, privacy and marketing permissions
Learn how cookies work and how to take control of your privacy choices.
Introduction to 'Cookies, privacy and marketing permissions'
You’re visiting a new website. A banner pops up, asking you to accept their cookies. What do you do?
Research (PDF, 123Kb) shows that:
Almost half
UK adults accept the cookies quickly, just to get rid of the message.
1 in 4
Sometimes read cookie notices but find them confusing.
Over 40%
Think they have little or no control over cookies and online tracking.
In this lesson, you'll learn what cookies do, how they affect your privacy, and how to make smart choices about the information you share online.
What you'll learn
- What cookies are and how websites use them.
- The difference between necessary and optional cookies.
- Privacy choices you have and what they mean for your data.
- How to choose the marketing communications you want.
How long it takes
6 minutes
Cookies and how they work
Chapter 1
How long it takes
1 minute
What are cookies?
We’re not talking about the chocolate chip ones here. These cookies are small files stored on a user's device when they visit a website.
They help websites remember information such as:
Login preferences
Language settings
Items in a shopping basket
Website usage information
Why are they there?
Cookies help websites remember your preferences and improve your experience, but they can also be used to collect information about how you use online services.
Every time you visit a website, these tiny pieces of information are working behind the scenes to remember your preferences, personalise your experience, and sometimes even influence the ads you see.
Different types of cookies
Just like the ones you can eat, there are different 'flavours' of online cookies too. Each one uses your information to do different things.
Necessary cookies
These are needed for the website to function. For example, remembering the items in your shopping basket, while you continue to browse.
Analytics cookies
These help the website owners understand how people use the site. For example, tracking the most popular pages, and how long people spend there.
Marketing cookies
Companies use these to personalise advertising and marketing activity. For example, when you see an online ad for shoes after browsing a footwear website.
Which ones should you accept?
This can be a personal choice. But if you choose not to accept the necessary cookies, you may not be able to use that website.
Remember
Not all cookies collect sensitive information, but some do.
Many are used for basic website functions and preferences. At the same time, it’s a good idea to think before you ‘accept all’. That way, you’ll feel more in control of what data you’re sharing.
Your privacy choices
Chapter 2
How long it takes
3 minutes
What is personal data?
Your personal data is any information that can identify you, directly or indirectly.
That’s things like:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Customer ID, account number or username
More than 2 in 5 UK adults say they’ve shared more personal information than they’d like at least once a week in the past month.
1 in 5 say they’ve done this at least once a day during that time.
How do companies collect personal data?
Cookies are one of the ways that companies collect data. There are many more.
Which of these have you done recently?
- Signed up for a newsletter
- Created an online account
- Bought something online
- Completed a survey
- Entered prize draws or competitions
- Downloaded an app
- Contacted customer support
- Enabled notifications from a website or app
- Used loyalty cards or reward programmes
- Chosen to ‘sign in with…’ a social media site like Facebook or Google
- Signed up for a newsletter
- Created an online account
- Enabled notifications from a website or app
- Bought something online
- Completed a survey
- Entered prize draws or competitions
- Downloaded an app
- Contacted customer support
- Used loyalty cards or reward programmes
- Chosen to ‘sign in with…’ a social media site like Facebook or Google
Some of these may seem more obvious than others. But they all have one thing in common – they’re asking for your details.
What companies do with your data
Typically, companies use these details to get or stay in touch with you. Knowing more about you can help them give a more personalised service, too.
For instance, if you buy something online, you may be asked for your email address. They’ll send you a message to confirm your order, and again to let you know the item’s on it’s way.
When you download a weather app, it may ask for access to your location. It then uses this to show you the weather, wherever you are.
Typically, companies use these details to get or stay in touch with you. Knowing more about you can help them give a more personalised service, too.
For instance, if you buy something online, you may be asked for your email address. They’ll send you a message to confirm your order, and again to let you know the item’s on it’s way.
When you download a weather app, it may ask for access to your location. It then uses this to show you the weather, wherever you are.
What are your privacy choices?
These choices are all about your data and how it's used. They help you decide how much information you share online. You’ll see them when you're accepting cookies, signing up for a newsletter or downloading an app.
Remember
Understanding your privacy choices makes it easier to decide what you're happy to share and helps you feel more confident online.
What do they look like?
Privacy choices often appear as simple questions or settings. Exactly what they look like depends on where you see them.
Here are some examples
-
A cookie banner on a website may ask if you want to ‘accept all cookies’ or ‘manage preferences’. When you choose ‘manage preferences’, you get to see the different types of cookies, what they’re for and an option to accept or reject each one. There may also be a ‘reject all’ option. The wording might be different, but the idea is the same: you can choose to accept all the cookies, none of them, or pick the ones you want.
-
The company sending you their newsletter might ask you if you'd like to receive marketing emails, special offers or updates. You can sign up to one or more types of communication from them, depending on what you’re interested in. If you end up with too many emails from them, you can always ‘unsubscribe’.
Idea
The 'unsubscribe' option is usually shown as a link near the bottom of the email.
You may also see a message at the top of the email, from your email provider. This tells you that the email is from a mailing list. It usually has an ‘unsubscribe’ button.
-
Some apps ask for your permission to access your contacts, location or to send you notifications. You can set these permissions when you download the app. You can also change them in the settings for that app, at any time.
How to use them
It doesn’t take long to have a quick look at your privacy choices. Plus, it can help you feel more in control of your data. Read through the options and think about what you need or want from that company.
There may be a separate privacy policy that you can read, too. This gives you more information about:
What information they collect
Why they collect it
Who will use it
How long they'll keep it
Remember
You can always change your settings later, so don't worry if you change your mind.
Marketing permissions
Chapter 3
How long it takes
1 minute
What are marketing permissions?
Marketing permissions are part of your privacy choices. They’re the way you choose how companies can contact you.
You’ll see them when you sign up for a service, buy something online or enter a competition. The company will ask for permission to send you marketing messages.
These could include:
You’re in control
Marketing permissions are not about what a company wants. They're about what you're comfortable receiving.
If you say yes
You might receive emails about upcoming sales, exclusive offers, or products that match your interests.
If you say no
You won't receive marketing messages, but you can still receive important communications such as account updates, order confirmations or security alerts.
You can often choose how you want the company to contact you.
For example, you may choose to receive:
Emails
Text messages
Phone calls
Mobile app notifications
Direct messages from social media
Letters, leaflets and brochures through the post
Idea
You can pick the option/s you want. So you might choose to receive information by post or email but not by phone or text. It’s your choice.
You can change your mind
Giving permission isn't permanent. You can change your choices at any time.
If you decide you don't want these messages, you can usually:
Click 'unsubscribe' in an email
Update your communication preferences online
Contact the company directly
And if you decide you do want to receive these messages later on, you can do this in the same way, too.
Remember
You get to decide when, how and if a company can send you this information.
It’s your choice
Chapter 4
How long it takes
1 minute
Choices and checks
The best privacy choice is the one that works for you. We’ve talked about how you can decide which cookies you want to run on that website, the data you give to companies and how you want them to contact you.
So, the next time you see a cookie message or a request for your details, pause before you click ‘Accept’.
Then ask yourself:
- Do I understand what I'm agreeing to?
- Can I customise my cookie preferences?
- Am I happy to receive marketing messages?
- Do I know how to change my mind later?
- Is this website one I trust?
Taking a few seconds to check your privacy choices can help you stay informed and confident online.
Test your knowledge
Try again - that's not quite right!
Some types of cookie are optional - like the ones that collect marketing data or personalise the adverts you see.
That's right!
Necessary cookies are the ones that help the website to work.
Want to learn more?
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Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 20th July 2026.