The Information Commissioner's Office has changed the way it displays and uses cookies information on its site, opting for an 'implied consent' model of acceptance.

Previously the ICO, which issues guidance on complying with legal regulations regarding data in the UK, had expressed that 'explicit consent' was best practice in complying with cookie regulations. This mode required active acceptance of cookies by users, by clicking a tickbox or button, for example, and the ICO used this model on its own site.

However as of 31 January the ICO has changed tack and now offers the implied consent model, displaying a banner at the top of its site explaining that the website uses cookies, that cookies have been set and telling users they can change their cookie settings, or continue to use the site.

A spokesperson for the ICO said: "We first introduced a notice about cookies in May 2011, and at that time we chose to ask for explicit consent for cookies. We felt this was appropriate at the time, considering that many people didn’t know much about cookies and what they were used for. We also considered that asking for explicit consent would help raise awareness about cookies, both for users and website owners.

"Since then, many more people are aware of cookies – both because of what we’ve been doing, and other websites taking their own steps to comply. We now consider it’s appropriate for us to rely on a responsible implementation of implied consent, as indeed have many other websites."

Charities have previously raised concerns about implementing cookies compliance in relation to cost, ability to collect important website usage information and implications for accessibility of websites by those with vision impairments.

However the ICO now also sets cookies from the moment the user arrives on site, giving the user the option to remove them. Previously the user had to accept cookies actively before the ICO would set them. The ICO's changes provide a new acceptable standard for compliance that will allow websites to collect information from users immediately, and limit website development works.

"The aim is to help us collect reliable information to make our website better, while remaining compliant with the rules on cookies and our own guidance," said a spokesperson for the body.  

As well as the banner the ICO has created a cookies page, providing clear information on what cookies are used on the site, why and how. 

Don't know what cookies are? Learn more here