What is a Consent Management Platform?

How does a Consent Management Platform work?

A Consent Management Platform gives Web site visitors control over which cookies and tracking technologies they accept. The platform stores these preferences and forwards them to your marketing tools and analytics systems. Thus, only data for which explicit consent has been given is collected. The CMP documents all consents given with date and user details. A CMP is crucial to demonstrate your compliance with privacy laws such as the AVG/GDPR. If you want more information on how a Consent Management Platform works, read on here.

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What is the difference between a Consent Management Platform and a cookie banner?

The cookie banner is only the visible part of the Consent Management Platform. Visitors see the pop-up asking for cookie consent, while the CMP constitutes the entire system that records, stores and transmits consents. An effective CMP provides extensive functionality such as cookie categorization, permission logs and blocking of scripts until consent is obtained. Read more about the differences between a CMP and a cookie banner here.

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How do you set up a Consent Management Platform?

Setting up a CMP follows these steps:

1. Select an appropriate CMP such as Cookiebot or Cookiecode
2. Register and configure settings in the dashboard
3. Define your cookie categories (necessary, preferences, marketing)
4. Customize texts and design of the cookie banner
5. Implement the code on your website, preferably via Google Tag Manager
6. Connect your marketing and analytics tools to the right permission categories
7. Check that consents are processed correctly

For more information on setting up a consent management platform, please refer to this article.

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Is a Consent Management Platform mandatory?

Formally, a CMP is not required by law, but practically indispensable when using non-essential cookies. The AVG/GDPR and ePrivacy guidelines require valid consent before personal data is processed. A CMP provides the most effective way to collect, manage and demonstrate compliance with these consents. Without adequate consent management, you risk fines that can reach millions of dollars. Read more about the obligation of a CMP.