What is a Consent Management Platform?

Disclaimer: we are not a law firm. You can never be too careful regarding the law. The information we provide is marketing-oriented. We do not infringe on the law firm's scope. 

Nowadays, consent management is a delicate topic, especially online, as many countries take steps to legislate on data privacy. The GDPR defines the notion of consent as the decision to share data by a “clear affirmative action”.

So why do we need to talk about Consent Management Platforms (CMPs)? What are the two main interests of such platforms for your business?

• On the one hand, it helps companies to manage their collection of data, mainly cookie consent. 
• On the other hand, it allows you to stick to the latest legislation. 

So CMPs are great tools to manage your data collection online in accordance with the law. In this article, we will give you a clearer insight into what CMPs can do for you.  

What does a Consent
Management Platform include?

Now that you know what is at stake with data compliance, you may be interested in examining CMPs in a bit more detail.  A consent management platform is a tool that helps businesses manage compliance with GDPR in the collection of personal data. But, in concrete terms, what does a CMP include?

• The centralization of your consent management in a single platform will save you precious time.
  
  
• Tracking of consent authorization helps you stock the necessary information on each user’s consent status to ensure your compliance with the GDPR in case of a control. Make sure that cookie consent banner appear on your website visitors so that you can track authorization!

• Customizing your consent collection strategy allows you to personnalize your Consent Call to Action for a better user experience. 
  
  
• Evaluating your performance allows you to enhance your data collection strategy by testing what works best to increase your consent rate.
  
  
• Blocking tags and data tracking before consent. A proper CMP will block all tracking, such as Google Analytics, conversion tracking and any remarketing pixels until the user hasn’t given his explicit consent. But careful, not all CMPs do this which means data collection might begin when the user opens your website.  Depending on your country, this could represent an encroachment on the law. 

Note that CMPs can include more features. 

3 main benefits of using a CMP

1. Save a lot of time. You do not have to spend time collecting explicit consents individually; the CMP will do it in your place. You can then focus your efforts on customizing of the consent banners and checking your liabilities. 
   
   
2. Create a better user experience. Collecting your data conscientiously will first reassure the users of your website. By customizing your consent collection banners, you can also make it more appealing than just an impersonal message: “This website uses cookies. Do you accept the use of cookies?”
   
   
3. Make the checking of liabilities easier. Thanks to the centralization of consent collection, you can follow your compliance with the law whenever you want. A CMP does not consist of an official checking of your liabilities, but since it is your responsibility to check, you better be helped to do so. Anyway, always double-check! 

If you want to set your CMP’s parameters, you should follow the GDPR checklist to check your alignment with the GDPR.

But be careful! This is crucial about CMPs: the platform is not responsible for your compliance. It helps you stick to the rules as you can centralize data collection and track it, but you have the leeway to set suitable parameters.

3 key takeaways about
Consent Management PlatforM

Now you have a clear idea of CMP’s pros and cons; you should remember that: 

• Regardless of the size of your company and your business sector, you are affected directly or indirectly by the GDPR. 
  
  
• If well configured, CMP can be a precious tool that will reassure your data scientists. 
  
  
• The Consent Management Platform is not responsible for your noncompliance. Use this tool wisely!