UK GDPR: Achieve compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation

The Usercentrics Consent Management Platform (CMP) helps you to obtain and signal valid user consent to build trust and meet UK GDPR and UK DUAA compliance requirements.

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The UK GDPR is the United Kingdom’s data privacy regulation, implemented January 1, 2021 after Brexit. It remains largely consistent with the EU GDPR, but is evolving to meet regulatory and technology needs in the UK.

The UK GDPR regulates how organizations collect and process the personal data of UK residents. It forms the foundation of privacy compliance across digital operations, marketing, and customer engagement. Enforcement is handled by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

OVERVIEW OF THE UK GDPR

VALUING PRIVACY

Increasing regulatory complexity

The UK GDPR is extraterritorial, so applies to any organization that is monitoring UK residents and/or collecting and processing their personal data. It’s complemented by the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and The Data Use and Access Act 2025 (DUAA).

With increasing regulatory requirements and consumer expectations, demonstrating respect for data privacy is critical for sustainable business growth.

ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE

Under UK GDPR, Personal data can only be processed for specific, clearly communicated purposes with a valid legal basis.

One such legal basis is consent. User consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Users must be able to easily withdraw consent at any time, and you must retain secure records of consent.

Usercentrics CMP enables you to request and obtain valid consent, provide transparency about data processing, and block cookie/tracker use until consent is provided.

UK DATA USE AND ACCESS ACT

The Data Use and Access Act (DUAA), which came into effect in 2025, updates the UK GDPR with new provisions on how businesses collect, process and share personal data of UK residents. It applies alongside the UK GDPR, not as a replacement.

For most Usercentrics customers using a standard GDPR configuration, this matters: UK residents fall outside the EU/EEA scope, and standard GDPR settings do not cover UK-specific requirements. The DUAA allows certain categories and services, such as statistics, to be switched on by default while users keep the option to opt out. DUAA support is available across both Web CMP and App CMP, and you can now mark these categories and services as “Exempted” in your Admin Interface. To stay compliant, review the category and service settings of each website or app that serves UK residents and apply the exemptions that fit your setup.

Configure your CMP

Choose your legal framework and/or relevant data privacy regulations.
Identify the Data Processing Services used on your website and set the correct legal basis.
Customize the banner appearance and messaging to meet your needs.

Implement your CMP

Add the CMP script tag to your website’s code directly, or by using Google Tag Manager. For mobile apps, use our SDK.
Make adjustments to the scripts/tags being used on your website.
Determine when and at what frequency your banner message will be displayed.

Collect explicit user consent

Start collecting consent from all consumers subject to the DMA.
Start collecting valid consent from all visitors under DMA jurisdiction.
Continuously optimize your consent banner based on extensive data and analytics.

“Cookie compliance is crucial for ensuring data privacy and building trust with consumers. We chose Usercentrics CMP for its ability to provide harmonized compliance and marketing. We use it to manage user consent across various domains and over a dozen apps. The Google Consent Mode integration is also really useful. Since implementing the Usercentrics CMP, the company has experienced better compliance with data privacy regulations, improved user trust, and enhanced marketing capabilities.”

Alix Courdier

Head of Marketing Tech at Lipton

Benefits of a consent management platform

Obtain valid user consent

Comply with other international regulations, like the EU GDPR, US state-level laws like the CCPA, Brazil’s LGPD, and industry-specific frameworks like the IAB TCF v2.2.

Seamlessly integrate with your app or website

Easily integrates with your app or website and many leading third-party services and tools. We help you meet your data-driven goals.

Build user trust

Be more transparent with users about data usage. Build trust so your audience is more likely to trust you with their data. Increase engagement for long-term customer relationships.

Increase your opt-in rates

Benefit from our special marketing features, like A/B Testing and Contextual Consent, to improve user experience with transparency, and build relationships with your brand.

Choose the right solution for your business

We enable obtaining, storing, and signaling UK GDPR-compliant consent for data processing. Be transparent with UK users and provide clear consent options.

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Contact our expert team

We’re happy to answer questions on GDPR privacy compliance and get you acquainted with Usercentrics and our Consent Management Platform.

Doing business in the EU and unsure whether your website is compliant with current privacy law?
Not sure what you need to do to achieve compliance? Get in touch and learn how the Usercentrics Consent Management Platform can help you achieve GDPR compliance.
Interested in partnering with us?

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