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The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has given UK businesses a further twelve months to comply with the EU’s ‘cookies regulations’, which come into force today, 26th May.

There has been much confusion in recent months over how website owners should comply with these new rules, with the Government, ICO and the EU itself all unable to agree on what action website owners should take.

Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, media and sports, said last month he did not expect the ICO to take action while negotiations were still ongoing with browser manufacturers and industry experts to develop a solution.

Yesterday, Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner, finally issued a statement confirming this position, and stating that there will be a 12 month transitional period, while UK businesses get their websites in order. While it’s not a ‘get out of jail free’ card, it does provide more time to find a solution that will work for both users and website owners alike. Graham warned though that “those who choose to do nothing will have their lack of action taken into account when we begin formal enforcement of the rules.”

In the meantime, conscious that it could come under fire for failing to deal with the issue itself, the ICO has added a header bar onto its own website http://www.ico.gov.uk where users can choose to accept cookies. The header bar, which outlines how cookies are used on the site, remains on screen until the user gives their consent for a cookie to be placed on their computer. While the ICO admits that this option will not necessarily be suitable for every website, it’s one example of how businesses could comply.

© Amatica 26/05/2011