Cookies Regulations and the New EU Cookie Law

There are lots of half told stories around the internet giving various advice concerning the new EU Cookie regulations for website owners.

I have to say, I am not entirely sure of the complete in’s and outs of it all, but I found a useful guide on the ICO website, and thought I would share the details below.

There are fines set for businesses guilty of non-compliance, or a breach. So really, we need to be looking at how to tackle the new rules and guidelines with little fuss.

The ICO Website says;

Our latest guidance (May 2012) sets out the changes to the cookies law and explains the steps you need to take to ensure you comply. The updated guidance provides additional information around the issue of implied consent:

• Implied consent is a valid form of consent and can be used in the context of compliance with the revised rules on cookies.
• If you are relying on implied consent you need to be satisfied that your users understand that their actions will result in cookies being set. Without this understanding you do not have their informed consent.
• You should not rely on the fact that users might have read a privacy policy that is perhaps hard to find or difficult to understand.
• In some circumstances, for example where you are collecting sensitive personal data such as health information, you might feel that explicit consent is more appropriate.

Download the ICO cookies guidance (pdf)

There is also a UK chamber of commerce download here

Source: Cookies Regulations and the New EU Cookie Law – ICO.

I have tackled my responsibilities by installing ‘Cookie Control’ Plugin for WordPress. You can download a copy from WordPress here

Recommended Reading