Changes to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations will be introduced this Thursday (26 May).

From then any company using cookies, small text files stored on users' computers to identify and track users' movements on their websites, will have to get consent first.

At present a user can turn cookies off within their own browser settings, but BPIF commercial solicitor Nicola Langley said that would not be enough any more.

She said: "The first time a user comes to the printer's website it should be clearly indicated that cookies will be used and permission must be sought. This could be through a tick box or registration; the guidelines do not specify how it has to be done, as long as the website gets consent.

"Most of our members have websites and many of them will use cookies in some form. They need to understand a bit more about how their websites function now."