ConsentProof · Privacy Compliance · Currently WordPress

Your cookie banner probably

isn't blocking anything.

Most aren't. The pop-up shows while every script underneath keeps running exactly as before, and it's looked handled since the day it was installed.

✓ Nothing fires until someone chooses

✓ Consent Mode v2

✓ Timestamped consent logs

✓ Verified from the regions that matter

THE PROBLEM

Timing is the whole thing.

COSMETIC

The consent banner is decoration

It appears, someone clicks, it disappears. The scripts underneath never checked what was clicked, or fired before the banner rendered at all.

UNRECORDED

No proof of any decision

It appears, someone clicks, it disappears. The scripts underneath never checked what was clicked, or fired before the banner rendered at all.

NOT JUST MARKETING PIXELS

Session replay and chat are a different category.

They capture what visitors actually type, which carries different exposure than a pixel. Most consent setups never gate them.

WHY TIMING IS THE WHOLE THING

The demand letters going to small business sites mostly don't cite CCPA. They cite CIPA, a 1967 wiretapping law, and the argument is entirely about timing: whether a tracker transmitted before the visitor chose. An opt-out link added afterward doesn't change what already fired.


That's why a cosmetic banner doesn't answer it, and why size doesn't get you out of it. CIPA has no revenue or visitor threshold, and it isn't limited to California companies. It applies when the visitor is in California, so if Californians reach your site, you're in scope no matter where you're based. That's also why our geo rules target California traffic specifically.


The theory is contested, and courts have gone both ways. We won't tell you a lawsuit is coming. What ConsentProof does is answer the timing question: nothing fires until someone chooses, every choice is logged, and we verify it from California specifically.

CHECK IT YOURSELF

30-seconds no tools required.

This is what a first-time visitor triggers on your site. Most people are surprised.

1: Open a private window

Incognito or Private Browsing, so nothing's cached and no prior choice is remembered.

2: Open the cookies panel

Right-click → Inspect → Application tab (Chrome, Edge) or Storage tab (Firefox, Safari) → Cookies → your domain.

3: Re-load your site. Don't click anything.

Let the banner appear. Leave it alone. Look at the cookie list.

4: Look for the tells

Cookies are the quick tell. If you want the proof, the Network tab shows the actual requests going out to facebook.com, google-analytics.com, and the rest, that outbound transmission is what the timing argument is about.


THE BENEFIT

If a demand letter comes, you have the answer.

Every letter demanding proof of consent in this category turns on one question: did the tracker fire before the visitor chose? When nothing fires until they do, that claim doesn't describe your site, and you hold the log that shows it. Anyone can still send a letter. What changes is what you can say back. Geo rules mean you apply that strictness only where the exposure is, not sitewide.

EXPOSURE REDUCTED

The central claim

doesn't hold.

Cookie categories, third parties, consent practices, the document reflects the site as it is, not a template's guess at a site like yours.

PROOF ON FILE

Every decision, timestamped.


If anyone asks how your site behaved on a given date and what a visitor chose, you have the record. Most sites have a screenshot of a banner.

MEASUREMENT KEPT

Strict where it matters, not everywhere.

Optimization on fuller signal means less budget spent chasing audiences that already converted, and more spent finding the next ones.

WHAT YOU GET

A consent platform that actually gates your scripts

Most sites don't need the strictest setting everywhere. We can apply block-until-consent to California visitors specifically and leave the rest of your traffic as-is, so you take the measurement trade-off only where the exposure actually is.

Consent management platform, configured
All tracking scripts migrated to GTM
Consent Mode v2 integrated
Geo-location rules
Time-stamped consent logging
Cookie policy generated
GDPR + CCPA QA testing
Compliance documentation
Global Privacy Control honored
Session replay & chat widget gating
First year of Guardian included

HOW IT WORKS

From intake to deployed in under a week.

No sales calls. No custom scoping. No hourly billing. Just a straightforward process.

1: Choose Your Service

Compliance, tracking, legal documents, or the complete bundle. Clear pricing, no surprises.

2: Complete Intake

A short intake form captures your site platform, ad channels, current tracking tools, and access, then we audit what's actually live.

3: We Deploy

A trained specialist configures everything on your live site. Your documents are generated from the real deployment data.

4: QA & Handoff

Every deployment is tested against our QA checklist and verified from regions that matter. You're enrolled in Guardian for Year 1.

Works best with

ConsentProof + PixelOath

Consent that blocks correctly also changes what your ad platforms can see. PixelOath rebuilds the tracking path so you recover the data you're entitled to, never the data someone asked you not to take.

Or ConsentProof + DocShield for the compliance pairing

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About consent and compliance.

How is this different than just installing a cookie banner plugin?

A cookie banner plugin gives you software. We give you a correctly configured system. Most cookie banners are cosmetic: they show a pop-up but don't actually block tracking until consent (GDPR) or remove cookies on opt-out (CCPA). We install the consent platform, configure it to control your tracking through Google Tag Manager and Consent Mode v2, enable consent logging for proof, verify the blocking works from the regions that matter, and provide documents that match your setup. The plugin is one piece; we deploy and test the complete stack.

Can I track California visitors by default?

Technically, yes: California's CCPA is an opt-out law, so tracking by default with a clear way to opt out is allowed, and many sites run it that way. But there's a trade-off worth understanding. The demand letters going around small businesses tend to rely on a different rule, a wiretapping theory (CIPA), that turns on data being transmitted in the first place, regardless of cookies. A track-by-default setup transmits before anyone opts out, which is the exposure those firms target. A block-until-consent setup avoids it but gives up some measurement on people who don't agree. Neither is automatically "right"; it depends on where your visitors are and how cautious you want to be. We'll lay out both plainly and set up whichever you choose, rather than quietly picking the riskier one for you.


Worth knowing: this theory is contested. Courts have gone both ways, and legislation moving through the California legislature could narrow part of it. We're not going to tell you a lawsuit is inevitable. What we can tell you is which configuration choices reduce your exposure and what each one costs you in measurement.

Does this cover session replay, chat widgets, and form inputs?

Yes, and they deserve separate attention. Most of the conversation about tracking risk focuses on pixels and analytics beacons, which send routing data. Tools that capture what a visitor actually types, session replay, chat widgets, search and form fields, fall into a different category and are treated differently. A tool like Microsoft Clarity or a live chat widget deserves more careful gating than a conversion pixel, not less. When we audit your site, we identify which category each tool falls into and configure the blocking accordingly.

What should I do if I receive a demand letter?

Don't ignore it, and don't rush to settle because there's a deadline attached. Two things matter first. Preserve everything before you change anything: the letter, your current site configuration, what's running, and your consent logs. The state of your site when the letter arrived is what's relevant, and changing it first can make the picture harder to establish.


Then take it to an attorney who works in this specific area and let them direct the fact-finding, including whether the tracker named was actually running on your site and when it fired relative to consent. These claims rest on a legal theory courts are still split on. A letter is a private demand from a law firm, not a finding that you did anything wrong.


If you're an existing client, your consent logs give your attorney time-stamped records for the timeline they'll need. We're not a law firm and can't advise you on the letter itself, but we can help you document what your setup actually does.

What is Google Consent Mode v2, and will it recover conversions I lose to opt-outs?

Consent Mode v2 is how Google's products respond to a visitor's consent choices, and it's required for EEA and UK traffic. It runs in two modes, and the difference matters. In Basic mode, Google's tags don't fire until consent: nothing is sent, and nothing is modeled. In Advanced mode, tags send anonymized, cookieless pings even before consent, and Google can model some of the conversions lost to opt-outs, but only above its minimum traffic thresholds, so many smaller sites won't see modeled conversions regardless. We'll tell you honestly which mode fits your traffic and your risk tolerance, since Advanced mode means anonymized data is still transmitted before consent.

Nothing fires until someone chooses.

One-time setup. Deployed in 3–5 business days. Verified from the regions that matter.

Iron Consent provides technical implementation services and documents built on templates developed by experienced compliance counsel. We are not a law firm, we do not provide legal advice or representation, and using this site or purchasing our services does not create an attorney-client relationship. The compliance counsel who developed our document templates does not represent our clients. Content on this site is for general information only and is not a substitute for advice from your own attorney regarding your specific situation. Privacy law is unsettled and evolving; we do not guarantee any legal or compliance outcome.


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