FOI Request Highlights UK Cookie Law Enforcement Problems

[engine]

A Freedom of Information request was sent to the UK's Information Commissioners Office (ICO) to establish the effectiveness of enforcement of the UK's Cookie Law.

There's some revealing information in the response.
Sit back, relax, and don't worry about the cookie Law.

Cookie Law Statistics [whatdotheyknow.com]

[nomis5]

The reply to the request for information is probably the most onerous task they have undertaken to date - an absolute joke!

[engine]

I suspect the ICO is heavily understaffed, not just for this, but for all the things they've got to do.

At some point i'm sure they'll make a site a scapegoat.

[bhonda]

I feel really sorry for the ICO. They didn't come up with the legislation (in Europe and in the UK), and have been tasked with enforcing it.

Back in the day when everyone was scrambling to find out what compliance looks like, I remember reading discussions with ICO staff (can't remember where, otherwise I'd link!) and the impression I got was that they were just as frustrated with this as the rest of us were.

In fact, this is probably the best outcome we could hope for in this situation, short of the 'law' being revoked. I'd much rather have this, than the 'law' being rigorously enforced.

Good call for doing a FIO request though.

[g1smd]

We have a long tradition of writing unenforced laws in the UK.

Pretty much every national body that ends with the word "... commission" or "... council" is toothless, ineffective, and an endless drain of wasted funding.