This update concerns data privacy and cookie compliance under PECR and UK GDPR, which falls outside the payments-specific taxonomy and has no direct connection to payment services, instruments, or infrastructure.
While third-party data processors may be tangentially involved in cookie and tracking technologies, this guidance is fundamentally about privacy regulation rather than payment service provision or outsourcing arrangements.
Specialism
The ICO guidance directly addresses how UK GDPR and PECR apply to cookies, tracking pixels, and device fingerprinting—personal data collection and processing technologies that fall squarely within data protection regulation.
Low confidence — requires human review. While the guidance mentions compliance assistance and regulatory certainty for online service providers, the secondary focus on advertising-related tracking (regulation 6 of PECR review) could suggest Advertising, but the core content is data protection rather than marketing rules.
2026-04-29 15:18:57·csoo@vixio.com
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The ICO has today published its finalised guidance on Storage and Access Technologies (SATs), alongside an update on its online tracking strategy.
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TITLE: United Kingdom's Information Commissioner's Office Publishes Final Storage and Access Technologies Guidance
BODY:
On 29 April 2026, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) published finalised guidance on Storage and Access Technologies (SATs), covering how the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) apply to cookies, tracking pixels, device fingerprinting and similar technologies.
The guidance incorporates updates following two consultations and amendments introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act. It includes new examples and clarification points to assist organisations in complying with applicable law. The ICO notes the guidance reflects the law as it currently stands and sits separately from its ongoing work to review regulation 6 of PECR for online advertising purposes, with further updates expected in the coming weeks.
William Malcolm, Executive Director Regulatory Risk and Innovation at the ICO, stated the guidance provides online service providers with regulatory certainty to enable responsible innovation and practical compliance assistance. The ICO reports that 99 percent of the United Kingdom's top 1,000 websites now meet compliance standards for cookie banners following focused ICO engagement with industry. The ICO intends to continue its compliance work and interventions to develop a fairer, more transparent online tracking ecosystem that provides individuals with meaningful control over their data usage.
The guidance is available on the ICO website.
REFERENCES:
Information Commissioner's Office, Final storage and access technologies guidance published, 29 April 2026, https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2026/04/final-storage-and-access-technologies-guidance-published/
Final storage and access technologies guidance published | ICO Skip to main content Final storage and access technologies guidance published Date 29 April 2026 Type News We have today published our finalised guidance on Storage and Access Technologies (SATs) , alongside an update on our online tracking strategy . The guidance, which covers how the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) (and where relevant, the UK GDPR) apply to cookies, tracking pixels, device fingerprinting and similar technologies (‘storage and access technologies’), incorporates updates following two consultations and changes introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act. It includes new examples and points of clarification to help organisations comply with the law. It reflects the law as it currently stands, and sits separately from our ongoing work to review regulation 6 of PECR for online advertising purposes, on which further updates will follow in the coming weeks. William Malcolm, Executive Director Regulatory Risk and Innovation, said: "Online service providers want regulatory certainty so that they can innovate responsibly. They want clear, practical guidance they can rely on. That is exactly what we have delivered with the publication of the Storage and Access Technology guidance. We listened carefully to what industry told us during our consultations and addressed the questions we heard most frequently. "We are also taking direct action to drive compliance. 99% of the UK's top 1,000 websites now meet compliance standards for cookie banners owing to focused ICO work with industry. There is still more to do, and our work and interventions will continue to drive for a fairer, more transparent online tracking ecosystem that gives people meaningful control over how their data is used." Back to top