The new General Data Protection Regulations (or GDPR for short) come into force on Friday May 25 and it seems that confusion still reigns supreme.

The new rules are intended to raise the standards and safeguards on how personal data is collected, stored and transferred. Customers also have greater rights to see the information companies hold about them. So far, so good.

To comply businesses have been sending all of us a blizzard of urgent messages inviting everyone to re-subscribe before the new data laws are applied on May 25.

It appears that not only are these messages vastly different, but that many other businesses don't have clue what to do and are simply adopting a "wait and see" attitude.

This could be a very expensive strategy - the potential fines for those who transgress GDPR are huge. In the meantime, lawyers and consultants are having a field day as companies seek advice on what to do.

According to The Times newspaper many people are ignoring the pleas to re-subscribe as a way of getting rid of annoying marketing emails.

Research by the consultancy Accenture found that a third of adults have deleted most re-consent emails sent by companies while one in five have simply ignored the messages.

The Government's Information Commissioner's Office provides some guidance at www.gov.uk/government/news/will-you-be-ready-for-gdpr-before-25-may 

Mike Cherry, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said some smaller firms may not be compliant by May 25 and has called the Information Commissioner's Office to be understanding in their enforcement of the new laws in the UK.

"As the GDPR deadline swiftly approaches, there is a real danger that many small businesses are yet to have adequately prepared for the changes," he said.

"The GDPR is the largest shakeup of data protection laws for years, and whether you are a personal trainer or a consultant, most businesses will have to implement changes to their current practices to make sure they are complying with the new rules.

"Given the extent and the breadth of the changes, it is clear that a majority of small businesses will not be fully compliant before May 25 and will most likely not be compliant when the changes hit. With this in mind, it is critical that the ICO manages non-compliance in a light touch manner with the focus being on education and support, not punishment."