Anti Cookie Law / Do Not Track

[softball]

Is this good or disasterous?
Cookie law deferred for one year

Cookies are used by websites to save user preferences between visits.
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UK websites are being given one year to comply with EU cookie laws, the Information Commissioner's Office has said.

The UK government also sought to reassure the industry that there would be "no overnight changes".

The EU's Privacy and Communications Directive comes into force on 26 May.

It requires user's consent before using cookies - the text files that help organise and store browsing information.

Technically all firm must comply with the law but the UK has said that it needs more time to find a workable solution.

The government said that it was looking for a "business-friendly" solution and believed in light-touch regulation.

"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 added.

Do Not Track
The government has formed a working group with browser manufacturers to see if a browser-based solution to the issue can be found.

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.