Consent Management Platform (CMP)
Definition
A tool that helps websites comply with privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) by managing user consent for cookies and tracking.
Example Use Case
A European e-commerce site uses a CMP to let visitors accept or reject cookies.
A consent management platform collects and records what each visitor agreed to, then enforces those choices on the tags and scripts running on the site. It exists because privacy law requires consent to be specific, informed, and revocable — and because a banner alone does nothing if tracking fires regardless of the answer.
The crucial detail is enforcement, not display. A CMP that shows a banner but loads analytics and advertising scripts before consent has been given is decorative. What matters is that tags are genuinely blocked until permitted, and that refusals are honoured as reliably as acceptances.
Records matter too. Regulators expect evidence of what a visitor consented to and when, so documented consent state over time is part of the deliverable, not an extra. Consent choices should also be as easy to withdraw as to give.
