In recent news, major tech players like Google and Meta have been fined substantially due to non-compliant consent cookies. Google faced a staggering €150 million penalty, while Meta platforms received a €60 million fine for breaching compliance regulations. As a result of these fines, Google has introduced a hard deadline of March 2024 for companies to set up and have Consent Mode switched on as part of their required website's cookie banner.
Google's Consent Mode simplifies compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR by allowing website owners to customise Google tag behaviour based on user consent to specific cookie types, such as advertising cookies. For instance, if a user declines consent for advertising cookies, Consent Mode ensures that only essential tags are activated, preventing user data from being used for targeted advertising. Consent Mode and website cookie banners work together to facilitate user consent management and enhance compliance with data protection regulations. Consent Mode dynamically adjusts the behaviour of Google tags based on user consent preferences obtained through cookie banners, ensuring user data is used by their consent choices.
Failure to have a Consent Mode-enabled cookie banner in place will have a catastrophic impact on your company's Google Ads. If by 6 March 2024, Google Consent Mode is not enabled, Google will block analytics for all ads in a company's Google stack. Companies also risk losing connectivity with essential services like Google, Gmail, and iOS, which could significantly impact their online presence, customer interaction, visibility, and user engagement.
It is expected that all websites utilising advertising cookies provide users with a fair choice regarding their consent to using their data for targeted ads, and the Information Commissioner Office (ICO), responsible for enforcing compliance, strongly urges companies to act now.
The ICO has clarified that they will closely monitor websites for compliance with the PECR and UK GDPR cookie consent guidelines, with monthly assessments and direct outreach to non-compliant companies. However, recently, they have accelerated efforts by developing an AI solution to help identify websites using non-compliant cookie banners. Therefore, the ICO strongly urges companies to act now to ensure their cookie banners comply to avoid penalties. For serious breaches of data protection principles, the ICO can issue fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of a company's annual worldwide turnover, whichever is higher.
The ICO has outlined specific areas of concern regarding stand-alone cookie banner compliance and compliance concerning Consent Mode, including:
It is crucial to take immediate corrective actions to avoid penalties and gain the trust of your users. The ICO expects companies to:
Act Now to Safeguard Your Website's Compliance
We urge all companies to review their cookie practices and take necessary steps to ensure compliance with PECR and UK GDPR guidelines.
Contact us today, and let's ensure your website meets the compliance guidelines and you don't miss the March deadline that will affect your Google Ads analytics and connectivity with essential services.