It seems sense has prevailed in Brussels. The threat of the hard opt-in for cookie tracking appears to have been thrown out. Instead EU regulators are looking at strict self-regulation. Although this decision will be welcomed by the online ad industry, it is likely that the EU's change-of-heart was prompted by the recent FTC proposal to develop a "Do Not Track" tool. If legislation is passed in the US forcing all browsers to carry this tool, the EU probably doesn't need to add more restrictions. Hence the about-face turn on behavioural tracking. This announcement will no doubt spark some serious debate at the upcoming Data Economy event. The WSJ piece can be read in full here.