bbc.co.uk
UK compliance audit.
How the score was calculated
- Starting score
- 100
- 2 critical findings
- −50
- Final score
- 50
AI Analysis
The BBC website's cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policy partially comply with UK GDPR and PECR standards, scoring 50/100 overall. While the site passed 26 checks and has no errors, it failed two critical checks related to specific cookies (ckns_mvt, _chartbeat2) and lacks sufficient color contrast in its text-background design, indicating areas requiring immediate attention for full compliance.
Fix these first
2 priorities- 01CRITICALcheck_initial_cookies
Found 3 non-essential cookie(s): [ckns_mvt _chartbeat2 DotMetrics.DomainCookie]
- 02CRITICALcheck_cookies_after_reject
Found 3 non-essential cookie(s): [ckns_mvt _chartbeat2 DotMetrics.DomainCookie] (after clicking: <button.ssrcss-15k2a7h-Button.eoocusk1> text='Reject additional cookies')
Report Details
- Playbook
- UK Cookie Compliance
- Domain
- bbc.co.uk
- Started At
- 4 May 2026, 15:24
- Duration
- 3m 45s
- Total Checks
- 38
- Report ID
- RHLDow1cfOLS
Check Results
Data Capture
3 checks All passedcapture_html_initial
INFOCaptured HTML (853161 bytes) from https://www.bbc.co.uk/
Captured HTML:
View rendered (opens in new tab)screenshot_initial
INFOScreenshot captured
Screenshot Evidence:
Pre-Consent Cookies
2 checks1 failedcheck_initial_cookies
CRITICAL-25Found 3 non-essential cookie(s): [ckns_mvt _chartbeat2 DotMetrics.DomainCookie]
Non-Essential Cookies:
": The cookie "ckns_mvt" likely stores user preferences or settings for the BBC website, as indicated by its naming convention and long expiration period."
": The cookie _chartbeat2 is likely used for tracking user behavior and collecting statistics, which falls under the analytics category."
": The cookie "DotMetrics.DomainCookie" likely stores user preferences or settings for the domain www.bbc.co.uk, which is typical of functional cookies."
Cookies (except strictly necessary) require user consent BEFORE being set
View guidance (opens in new tab)check_pre_consent_trackers
INFONo known trackers fired before consent (81 total requests captured during page load).
Loading third-party trackers (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, etc.) before consent is a PECR violation regardless of whether they set cookies
View guidance (opens in new tab)Cookie Consent Banner
6 checks All passedfind_banner
INFOFound consent banner via heuristic (height: 119px)
Clear and comprehensive information must be provided about cookie use
View guidance (opens in new tab)find_cookie_banner
INFOCookie consent banner detected on page
verify_banner_visible
INFOElement visibility is true as expected
screenshot_banner
INFOScreenshot captured
Screenshot Evidence:
extract_banner_text
Extracted 29 words
check_banner_content
LOWCookie banner provides sufficient information to users about cookie usage
Cookie notice must provide clear, comprehensive information about purposes
View guidance (opens in new tab)Cookie Controls
4 checks All passedfind_reject_button_semantic
INFOFound reject button: <button.ssrcss-15k2a7h-Button.eoocusk1> text='Reject additional cookies' (confidence: 100%)
find_accept_button_semantic
INFOFound accept button: <button.ssrcss-15k2a7h-Button.eoocusk1> text='Accept additional cookies' (confidence: 100%)
find_reject_button_any
CRITICALReject/decline cookies button found - users can easily refuse consent
find_accept_button_any
Accept cookies button found
Dark Pattern Detection
1 check All passedcompare_button_prominence
HIGHButtons have similar prominence
Reject option must have equal prominence to accept - asymmetric design is a deceptive pattern
View guidance (opens in new tab)AI Dark Pattern Analysis
2 checks All passedcheck_dark_patterns_vision
HIGHNo specific dark patterns identified in cookie banner
Visual deceptive patterns including color manipulation and hidden controls are prohibited
View guidance (opens in new tab)check_deceptive_buttons
HIGHButton labels are clear and not deceptive
Button labels must accurately reflect their function without ambiguity or deception
View guidance (opens in new tab)AI Content Analysis
3 checkscheck_banner_quality_llm
MEDIUMBanner content meets quality standards
Banner Text Analyzed:
Cookie notices must provide clear, comprehensive information about purposes
View guidance (opens in new tab)check_language_consistency
LOWBanner language (en) matches page language
Information must be provided in a language users can understand
check_cookie_purposes
MEDIUMNo cookies available for purpose matching
All cookies used must be disclosed and explained in the notice
View guidance (opens in new tab)AI Accessibility Analysis
1 checkcheck_visual_accessibility
MEDIUM-3Accessibility score: 50/100; Insufficient color contrast between text and background; Text may be difficult to read (size, font, or clarity issues); Action buttons are not clearly visible or distinguishable
Cookie banners must be accessible to users with disabilities including visual impairments
View guidance (opens in new tab)Consent Verification
4 checks1 failedclick_reject_button
Clicked element <button.ssrcss-15k2a7h-Button.eoocusk1> text='Reject additional cookies'
wait_after_reject
Waited 2000ms
check_cookies_after_reject
CRITICAL-25Found 3 non-essential cookie(s): [ckns_mvt _chartbeat2 DotMetrics.DomainCookie] (after clicking: <button.ssrcss-15k2a7h-Button.eoocusk1> text='Reject additional cookies')
Non-Essential Cookies:
": The cookie "ckns_mvt" likely stores user preferences or settings for the BBC website, as indicated by its naming convention and long expiration period."
": The cookie _chartbeat2 is likely used for tracking user behavior and collecting statistics, which falls under the analytics category."
": The cookie "DotMetrics.DomainCookie" likely stores user preferences or settings for the domain www.bbc.co.uk, which is typical of functional cookies."
When consent is withdrawn, cookies must be removed - continued tracking is unlawful
View guidance (opens in new tab)verify_banner_dismissed
LOWElement is no longer accessible (dismissed/removed from DOM)
Accessibility
1 check All passedwcag_aa_scan
HIGHNo accessibility violations found (WCAG AA)
UK websites must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards; failure may constitute disability discrimination
View guidance (opens in new tab)Evidence Collection
2 checks All passedcapture_html_after_reject
INFOCaptured HTML (854280 bytes) from https://www.bbc.co.uk/
Captured HTML:
View rendered (opens in new tab)capture_cookies_after_reject
INFOCaptured 10 cookies
Captured Cookies:
View full list (opens in new tab)Report Generation
1 check All passedgenerate_summary
INFOAI summary generated successfully
Other Checks
2 checksscreenshot_after_reject
Screenshot captured
Screenshot Evidence:
generate_pdf
INFOExecution error: failed to upload to S3: operation error S3: PutObject, https response error StatusCode: 400, RequestID: 18AC75F7E3C3DA4D, HostID: dd9025bab4ad464b049177c95eb6ebf374d3b3fd1af9251148b658df7ac2e3e8, api error BadRequest: chunk too big: choose chunk size <= 16MiB
Generating PDF Report...
Your comprehensive compliance report is being prepared.