UK Websites to implement cookie law next year

The EU cookie law will take another year to be enforced as the UK government ensures the websites there would be no overnight changes.

The e-privacy directive comes into force on May 26.

We recognise that some website users have real concerns around online privacy but also recognise that cookies play a key role in the smooth running of the internet, said communications minister Ed Vaizey.

But it will take some time for workable technical solutions to be developed, evaluated and rolled out so we have decided that a phased in approach is right, he said.

Though the idea of using cookie for tracking on-line behavior of consumers by a third party has raised a lot of implementation challenges, it can be very useful in keeping track of payment details.

Privacy groups, which pushed for greater regulation on cookies, want to see users able to give consent to every cookie presented to them.

There are very few big players in this industry and it is nonsense that users will be having to click on multiple consent forms, Alex Hanff, of Privacy International said, shocked by the delay in preparing for derivatives.

The government had also tried to find a browser-based solution to the issue.

Microsoft's IE9 and the latest verson of Mozilla's Firefox already offer a setting to protect users from services which collect and harvest browser data and Google is working at integrating so-called 'Do Not Track' technologies into their Chrome browser, BBC reported.