In February 2020 the BBC Shared Data Unit reported high-interest credit card ads were being targeted at people seeking benefits advice on UK local council websites.
We used the open source software webXray to take a snapshot over two days last October of more than 400 council benefits pages.
This found:
- More than half of UK councils had third-party advertising cookies on their benefits pages - a total of 950 cookies (small text files that track people on the internet)
- More than two-thirds of councils did not appear to ask for the correct form of consent under privacy laws
- Examples of targeted adverts on benefits pages seen by the BBC included high-interest credit cards, Black Friday deals, sports cars with features for disabled people and private funeral care plans
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it would assess the findings.
The advertising industry denied using data from vulnerable residents.
This piece of content was produced by a regional newspaper reporter working alongside BBC staff.
The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the BBC and the News Media Association. Stories generated by the partnership included:
- Cornish Stuff: Cookies on Council Benefits Pages 5 February 2020
- The Scotsman: Scottish council websites sharing residents’ data via advertising cookies 5 February 2020
- Gedling Eye: Gedling Borough Council say they don’t let advertising firms track residents using their website for benefits advice 5 February 2020
- MKFM: MK Council gets thumbs up for online consent in national research 5 February 2020
- West Sussex County Times: Local council websites have been sharing your data with third party companies 6 February 2020
- Daventry Express: Revealed: Northampton, South Northants councils allow advertisers to gather residents' data without their consent 6 February 2020
- Falmouth Packet: Cornwall Council had advertising cookies on website 6 February 2020
- Cornwall Live: Cornwall Council accused of sharing people's data without their consent 6 February 2020
- Bristol Live: Councils defend use of advertising cookies targeting people seeking benefits advice 6 February 2020
- Southern Reporter: Local council websites have been sharing your data with third party companies 6 February 2020
- Leamington Spa: The Courier: Local council websites have been sharing your data with third party companies 6 February 2020
- Yorkshire Evening Post: Councils are sharing your information with advertisers 6 February 2020
- Hemel Today: Local council websites have been sharing your data with third party companies 6 February 2020
- Wigan Today: Wigan Council remove cookies taken from website 7 February 2020
- Devon Live: Investigation finds Torbay council targeting online ads at people seeking benefits advice 7 February 2020
- Epping Forest Guardian: Essex County Council website sharing data with profilers 7 February 2020
- News & Star: Councils' cookie policy crumbles 10 February 2020
- Halesowen News: Council website found to host advertising cookies on benefits pages 10 February 2020
- Stourbridge News: Council website found to host advertising cookies on benefits pages 10 February 2020
- North West Evening Mail: Councils' cookie policy crumbles 10 February 2020
- Worcester News: Council website found to host advertising cookies on benefits pages 11 February 2020
- Malvern Gazette: Council website found to host advertising cookies on benefits pages 11 February 2020
- Ilford Recorder: Visitors to council benefits pages targeted by funeral ads 11 February 2020
- St Helens Star: St Helens Council to review cookie consent following BBC investigation 11 February 2020
- Northern Echo: Tracking on council sites: how your data is shared with third parties 13 February 2020
- Wales: Free Press: Advertising cookies found on council's benefits advice page 13 February 2020
- St Helens: The Reporter: St Helens Council to review cookie use on its website following BBC investigation 13 February 2020
- The Westmorland Gazette: Councils' cookie policy crumbles 17 February 2020
- Harrogate Advertiser: Harrogate Council found to use third-party advertising cookies on website without asking for consent 17 February 2020
- Scarborough News: Third-party cookies found on Scarborough Council's website 19 February 2020
- Brighton Argus: Worthing and Adur councils under fire over web tracking software 19 February 2020
- Portsmouth News: Changes made to Hampshire council websites after potentially illegal advertising data is found 21 February 2020
The story was also used by BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Cornwall and the BBC's Politix and Chill podcast.
- Bar chart: Percentage of UK councils' benefits pages with third-party advertising cookies (by nation)