Legal Matters: Beware of the Cookie Monster

Moreover, the risks of noncompliance are considerable. For example, under the United Kingdom (U.K.) law incorporating the EU Directive, penalties of up to £500,000 ($774,500 U.S.) per violation can be imposed. Faced with the prospect of adopting a compliant yet consumer-unfriendly format, electronic merchants in the U.S. might prefer to block European users from buying from their websites altogether.