Forget the virus lockdowns, the endless Brexit deadlines or the November kerfuffle in the US. The most vivid date in 2020 for many web managers was 5 October.

That was the deadline set by the powerful Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland for compliance with the EU's cookie consent requirements (PDF).

No more 'Click OK to continue'.

From 5 October onwards users must be able to give informed consent for cookies—and withdraw it just as easily.

The DPC's warning was clear: 'Ignore us and we're coming to get you'.

Cue a frenzied rollout of consent management platforms—and a nice payday for OneTrust, CookieBot and others.

As the date approached, there was fear of a large scale rejection of cookies by users. This would severely impede the ability of many sites to track online activity, as well as deliver other features.

Now the dust has settled, evidence suggests that our worst fears have not been realised.

Speaking to an analytics-specialist friend of mine, 3 tiers of rejection (or acceptance, if you prefer) have emerged.

Read the full article "How to increase cookie consent on your website".

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