The EU e-Privacy Directive, commonly referred to as the UK Cookie Law, taking effect on Saturday requires UK website to obtain permission before dropping cookies in a visitors’ computer.
Don’t feel bad if your site hasn’t complied with the new law yet. A recent survey by KPMG found that as many as 95% of UK websites aren’t Cookie-law compliant. With potential fines of up to £500,000 for repeat offenders, understanding the new regulations is essential.
Cookie Law Basics
What many call the UK Cookie law is really just a section of the EU e-Privacy Directive, designed to curb the gathering of private information without user consent. That means that from here on out, websites will need users to opt-in to non-essential cookies.
This does not include non-persistent cookies used for shopping or navigation. It’s also important to note that the law covers other non-essential tacking software beyond cookies, too. (To learn more about the full scope of the directory we highly recommend you check out EU e-Privacy Directive: Don’t Call it a Cookie Law.)
The Directive has actually been on the books for a year, but the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) gave webmasters extra time to get into compliance. ICO officers have indicated that they’ll be enforcing the law with a soft touch and plan on issuing plenty of warnings before handing out fines.
Read about the impact of the UK Cookie Law on Affiliates