Using Cookies with Expressed Consent

Operating your store in Cookie Restriction Mode requires visitors to express their consent before any cookies can be saved to their computers.  Unless consent is granted, many features of your store will be unavailable.

When Cookie Restriction Mode is enabled, visitors to your store are notified that cookies are required for full-featured operations. They are invited to read your Privacy Policy for more information, and encouraged to grant consent by clicking the Allow button. Your store’s default Privacy Policy page displays the name of your store and contact information, and explains the purpose of each cookie that is used by your Magento Go store. If Google Analytics is available for your store, it is invoked only after the visitor has granted permission to use cookies.

If a visitor’s browser does not have JavaScript enabled, a message explains that JavaScript must be enabled to use the website. After JavaScript is enabled, the Cookie Restriction Mode message prompts the visitor to read your Privacy Policy, and to click the Allow button to accept cookies from the site. The Cookie Restriction Mode message resides in a CMS static block, which you can edit to suit your voice and style. Although there is variation by theme, the message looks something like this:

Cookie Restriction Mode Message

Step 1: Enable Cookie Restriction Mode

1. From the Admin panel, select System > Configuration. In the Configuration panel on the left, under General, select Web.
2. Click to expand the Session Cookie Management section, and set Cookie Restriction Mode to “Yes.”
   
   Cookie Restriction Mode
3. When you set Cookie Restriction Mode to “Yes”, an additional option titled Expose to Google User Agents appears. Select “Yes” to expose your Google Analytics and Google Analytics Content Experiments code to Google user agents.

If your store is based in the United Kingdom and you select “Yes” in the “Expose to Google User Agents” field, be sure to list Google’s cookies and their functions on your Privacy Policy.

4. Click the Save Config button.

Step 2: Edit the Cookie Restriction Mode Message

1. From the Admin panel, select CMS > Static Blocks.
2. In the Static Blocks list, click to open the Cookie restriction notice.
3. While editing the text in the Content box, be careful not to change the link to your privacy policy.
4. When complete, click the Save Block button.

Step 3: Update Your Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy page is accessible from the Cookie Restriction message when Cookie Restriction Mode is enabled. Your Magento Go store includes a sample privacy policy that must be updated with your own information. For your convenience, your company name and contact information are already inserted into the document. The sample privacy policy should be modified to describe the type of information that your company collects and how it is used. In addition, the privacy policy should list the filenames of all cookies that are placed on the computers of people who visit your site. The sample privacy policy includes a description of each cookie that is used by your Magento Go store.  Any additional cookies that you use—such as for Google Analytics—should be added to the list.

To edit your Privacy Policy page:

1. From the Admin panel, select CMS > Pages > Manage Content.
2. In the Manage Pages list, click to open the Privacy Policy page.
3. In the Page Information panel on the left, select Content.
4. Remove the red text at the top of the page, and make any other changes necessary.
   If you are making a lot of changes, it might be easier to update the document offline, and then paste the completed text back into the Privacy Policy CMS page.
5. When your Privacy Policy page is complete, click the Save Page button.