On May 26th the UK implemented the EU Cookie Directive. Only hours before it became law did the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) clarify what website owners were expected to do about cookies!

After many scare stories about getting users to opt-in for almost every type of cookie, and of massive fines for non-compliance, this latest clarification essentially seems to say the following: we can assume “implied consent” for most “non tracking” cookies. That is, if you have a shopping cart or use Google Analytics, etc, you can cover yourself by having appropriate statements in your terms and conditions. This is how Amazon.co.uk appear to have handled the issue.

So, crisis over? Well, I’m not a lawyer, so your mileage may vary!