Government agrees to EC decision on cookies

Online businesses in the UK will need the explicit consent of users to install cookies on their computers from 25 May after the government announced that it will adopt the full text of amendments regarding this issue from the European Commission.

The need for consent is one of the key amendments to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive (PDF) (point 66 is the relevant amendment) which was first set out in November 2009.

Companies have just six weeks to adhere to this request before the amendment becomes law.

Given this short time, the government said that it will work with browser manufacturers to develop tools that will enable sites to meet the requirements.

V3.co.uk contacted Apple, Google, Mozilla and Opera for comment on the decision but had received no reply at the time of publication.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport also failed to reply to a question asking which browser firms the department is looking to work with.

Internet minister Ed Vaizey explained that he expects the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to go easy on firms in the first few months after the changes become law.

"We recognise that work on the technical solutions for cookie use will not be complete by the implementation deadline. It will take time for meaningful solutions to be developed, evaluated and rolled out," he said.

"Therefore we do not expect the ICO to take enforcement action in the short term against businesses and organisations as they work out how to address their use of cookies."

Vaizey added that the government's decision to adopt the framework wil help ensure that the UK is able to compete equally with rivals across the continent.