The United Kingdom companies warned to respect the right of the EU Cookie

The Information Commissioner of the United Kingdom said for companies to stop complaining and get with allowing Internet users to opt out of receiving cookies from corporate Web sites, warning that they cannot rely on the browser settings to do the work for them.

The controversial "cookies Directive" (Directive 2009/136/EC) of the European Commission will become law in the United Kingdom, and all the other European Member States, May 26 and will require companies to obtain the "explicit consent" web users before storing cookies. Cookies are small pieces of software installed on the computer of the user to remember the details of log-in and other preferences for a particular Web site. But they can be used to target advertising based on the history of navigation.

Many companies are reluctant to implement the measures requiring the consent of the users cookies because they fear losing effective follow-up on their Web site information. However, others are confused on how to apply the law in the first place.

"Companies cannot stick their heads in the sand: these regulations are right now,"stressed Christopher Graham (United Kingdom), the Information Commissioner."."There is a time of lobbying and a time for compliance, and it is time for compliance. It is unnecessary to battles that you have lost two years ago. "Directive has been adopted by the European Commission in 2009.

Graham also acknowledged that it will be difficult for companies to get their houses in order at this short notice, but also criticized the British Government for not not in transposing the directive into British law earlier. "We could not publish any guidance until the Act has been published, and our focus is very much a work in progress", explains.

"We will not go on the first day of a heavy hand." There will be a grace period, but that will not last more than 12 months. And if I get complaints on the first day - I will - we will examine the extent to which efforts have been made to comply, "said Graham.

He then advising companies that in many cases, the browser settings is not sufficient for compliance. "Browser settings does help in all cases - for example situations where there are intrinsic to the site, as a"basket"cookies." More sophisticated browser can help settings, but we have to wait for browsers to be able to cope, "he says.

This can lead to confusion for businesses operating in other European Member States, as many are puzzled on how to transpose the directive into national law. To date, only the United Kingdom and the Denmark made. What "consent" cookies requires in practice is not defined in detail in the directive, and some countries are in the hope that, in principle, a defined browser to "accept cookies" implies consent.

But "the circumstances in which these parameters may be considered appropriate to express the consent of the user depends how well they meet the General requirements in the legislation" said European Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.