New powers are coming into force that give the Information Commissioner' Office (ICO) the ability to impose fines of up to £500,000 for the most serious incidents of organisations sending unwanted marketing emails to individuals. Other changes include new rules for websites using cookies and similar technologies. The changes come into force as part of amendments to the UK’s Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) on 25 May 2011. The ICO will be responsible for regulating compliance with these new requirement and will be issuing guidance to reflect the changes that are being introduced. Further details on the ICO website at - www.ico.gov.uk/.