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name: cookie-consent description: "Use when reviewing a website for GDPR/CCPA compliance, specifically whether cookie consent is obtained before non-essential cookies are set." metadata: category: privacy priority: high difficulty: intermediate estimatedTime: "30" source: frontendchecklist.io url: https://frontendchecklist.io/rules/privacy/cookie-consent

Show a cookie consent notice

GDPR violations can result in fines up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover. Regulators across the EU have actively fined organizations for deploying tracking cookies without valid consent.

Quick Reference

• GDPR requires consent before setting non-essential cookies (analytics, advertising, personalization)
• Essential/strictly necessary cookies (session, security, login) do not require consent
• Consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous — pre-ticked boxes are invalid
• Users must be able to withdraw consent as easily as they gave it
• Scripts and pixels must not load until the user has actively accepted their category
• Non-essential trackers must stay blocked until consent and after revocation

Check

Check whether the site displays a cookie consent notice before setting non-essential cookies. Verify that analytics, advertising, and tracking scripts do not load until the user has actively accepted. Check whether users can reject non-essential cookies without losing access to content.

Fix

Implement a cookie consent management platform (CMP) that blocks non-essential scripts until consent is granted. Configure analytics and tracking tags to initialize only after explicit consent. Provide a mechanism for users to change their consent preferences at any time.

Explain

Explain what GDPR requires for cookie consent, the difference between essential and non-essential cookies, why pre-ticked boxes are invalid consent, and what a technically compliant consent implementation looks like.

Code Review

Review server config, headers, forms, and integration points related to Show a cookie consent notice. Flag exact responses, cookies, or browser behaviors that violate the rule, and verify them against the effective production-like response. Check that tracker initialization is gated on consent and that a persistent "change cookie settings" path exists after the banner is gone.

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For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance, see references/rule.md.

Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/rules/privacy/cookie-consent