Privacy Regulations in Italy

The GDPR sets the global standard for data protection, requiring explicit opt-in consent before processing personal data of EU/EEA residents. For websites, non-essential cookies must be blocked until visitors actively consent. Pre-ticked boxes and implied consent are invalid.

Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive is the primary EU legal basis requiring cookie consent. It mandates prior informed consent before storing or accessing any information on a user's device, with narrow exceptions only for transmission necessity and explicitly requested services.

Italy implements the ePrivacy Directive through Article 122 of the Privacy Code with detailed Garante cookie guidelines effective January 2022. Only technically necessary cookies may load by default. Scrolling is not valid consent, and closing a banner with "X" closes it without granting consent.