Spanish Data Protection Watchdog Publishes One New Guidance On Cookies And Two On Cloud Computing

The Spanish data protection authority, Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), has issued three new guidance documents dealing with (1) the use of cookies, (2) cloud computing from a customer perspective and (3) cloud computing from a service provider perspective. The guides provide useful information on how to use modern IT solutions in conjunction with data protection compliance requirements.

The guide on cookies is the first such document in Europe prepared jointly by a data protection authority and industry representatives, whilst so addressing the main controversies on the application of the EU cookies regulation in Spain. It is an important step, in so far as the law was considered unclear and often ignored. The guide discusses the various ways in which the statutorily required information can be provided, including website headers, footers or banners with links to more detailed sources. Privacy notices should define the type and function of all