A cookie scanner is therefore a vital tool for compliance with GDPR, CCPA and more data protection laws across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Our unmatched cookie scanner forms the cornerstone of Cookiebot CMP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner finds all cookies and trackers \u2013 even the hidden trojan horses \u2013 so that your website can become compliant and protect user privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Detects all cookies and trackers in operation on your website<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Generates a cookie declaration with details on each cookie; type, duration, provider and purpose<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Automatically blocks all cookies and trackers until users have made their choice of consent (for GDPR compliance)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Presents users with opt-out options (for CCPA compliance)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about GDPR and cookie consent<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about CCPA and cookies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does the Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The cookie scanner simulates human beings and their behavior online in order to lure out and detect all of the cookies and trackers in hiding on a given website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our cookie scanner cheats the trackers into thinking that a real person is scrolling on the website, and in that way baits them to come out form their hiding and show themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are cookies?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your browser. When people visit your website, cookies collect data about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Necessary cookies<\/strong> serve your website\u2019s most basic functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Preference cookies<\/strong> remember user choices of language, currency setting or log-in details for optimal user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Statistics cookies<\/strong> track users and collect different information about them and their online behavior and is used to inform website owners on the analytics of their site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marketing cookies<\/strong> harvest data for third-party companies that assemble comprehensive profiles on people and use these to target them with advertisement. This is known as behavioral advertisement and is a multi-billion-dollar industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cookie scanner performs fully-rendered simulations of multiple users (7-8 on average) visiting a website and their behavior on that website, which includes scrolling up to 10,000 subpages, clicking all links, menu points and buttons, moving cursors around, as well as playing and pausing embedded video and audio content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Basically, the cookie scanner exhausts all of the technically possible options on a website through simulated user interaction. Sort of like rustling a bush to see all the insects crawl out of their hiding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"\/media\/4442\/hand-scanner.jpg?width=500&\")
Cookie scanners are like an x-ray of your website, revealing what\u2019s hidden.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n During these simulated sessions, the website cookie scanner monitors all network traffic between the website and the \u201cbrowsers\u201d of the simulated users, as well as any traffic sent to other websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our cookie scanner uses this data to identify all the trackers that are present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once our cookie scanner has scanned a domain and all of its subpages, Cookiebot CMP<\/a> catalogues all of the identified trackers by their \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- technical properties,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- type and expiry period,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- exact location within the source code,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- third party providers,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The purpose of a tracker \u2013 is not something that the cookie scanner alone can determine, which is why the Cookiebot research team is constantly working on classifying trackers according to information provided by the third-parties themselves, either on their websites or in response to our direct inquiries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If no such information is forthcoming, the tracker will be categorized on the basis of its technical properties and the available knowledge about the business model for the third-party company controlling the tracker. The next time the cookie scanner encounters this tracker, it will categorize it accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, this vast knowledge that the cookie scanner generates is stored in our cookie repository of more than 22 million trackers, which have been classified and ascribed more than 3,500 unique purpose descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What kind of cookies does Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner find?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The cookie scanner finds all cookies and online trackers<\/strong> technology present on a domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a crucial and defining feature that we are very proud of at Usercentrics, parent company of Cookiebot CMP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our cookie scanner is unmatched in the industry, and finding the trackers is, of course, the prerequisite for real compliance with data protection laws like the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) <\/a>and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the most common tracking technologies that our web cookie scanner finds are \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- HTTPS\/JavaScript cookies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dynamic cookies set during the user's interaction with the website<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- HTML5 Local Storage trackers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Flash Local Shared Object trackers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Silverlight Isolated Storage cookies\/trackers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- IndexedDB trackers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Pixel tags<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ultrasound beacons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
All of these trackers can be found on a website, even if the website owner is not aware of their presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They usually sneak their way in through analytical tools, social media links, embedded videos, and many other website add-ons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why use Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If your website has users from inside the EU, you are required to be compliant with the GDPR<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your website has California residents among its users, you may be required to obtain compliance with the CCPA<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using a cookie scanner is a vital tool in order to become compliant with data protection laws like the GDPR and CCPA. In fact, it\u2019s technically impossible to be CCPA or GDPR-compliant without it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because both laws require that you inform users of what cookies and trackers your website uses, what data you collect and who you pass it on to (e.g. third parties like Google and Facebook).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookie scanners for GDPR compliance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
GDPR compliance entails that \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- You must reveal all cookies and trackers operating on your website to the user, in plain language, so that they can make an informed choice of consent or revoking of consent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You must withhold all cookies and trackers on your website (besides the strictly necessary cookies), until you have received clear and explicit user consent for setting cookies and trackers in activation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The consent must be freely given, and never e.g. as a condition for using a service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about the GDPR<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\nEDPB guidelines on valid consent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is the leading supervisor of the GDPR, responsible for adopting guidelines and issuing decision on how the GDPR is to be interpreted and enforced by national data protection authorities in each EU member country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On May 4, 2020, the EDPB adopted guidelines on valid consent<\/a> that clarify how websites who process personal data of individuals inside the EU are supposed to obtain the prior consent of users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EDPB guidelines specify that \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Cookie banners are not allowed to have pre-ticked checkboxes, i.e. cookies must be deselected by default so that the users can give their clear and affirmative consent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Scrolling and continued browsing on a website (implied consent) is not a valid form of consent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cookie walls (forced consent for access to a website) is not a valid form of consent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about the EDPB guidelines on valid consent<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookie scanners for CCPA compliance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
CCPA compliance means that you must - <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Feature a Do Not Sell My Personal Information link on your website that users can use to opt-out of third-party data sales.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Provide a notice at or before the point of collection informing the consumer of the categories of personal information that the company collects and for what purpose.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Include two steps for a deletion request, whereby the consumer can submit the request and subsequently agree to the personal information to be deleted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Obtain opt-in consent from minors age 13 to 15 before selling their personal information, and opt-in consent by parents or legal guardians from consumers under the age of 13.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Update your privacy policy to include a description of the rights (opt-out, disclosure, deletion) and how to exercise these rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about the CCPA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Google Consent Mode and the Cookiebot CMP scanner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Google Consent Mode<\/a> is a way for your website to make all its Google-services (like Google Analytics and Google Ads) run based on the consent of your end-users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using Cookiebot CMP<\/a> and Google Consent Mode<\/a> together offers a seamless integration of GDPR compliance with analytics optimization and ads revenues for your website, i.e. by receiving valuable aggregate and non-identifying analytics insights or by displaying contextual ads to end-users rather than targeted, personalized ads \u2013 respecting the user\u2019s consent in GDPR compliance and securing important ads revenue for your domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our solution is a perfect fit with Google Consent Mode<\/a>, and helps your website find a balance between data privacy compliance and website optimization\/conversion measurements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our CMP collects user consents for processing personal data, and Google Consent Mode<\/a> uses these consents to run all your website\u2019s preferred Google-services in a simple, streamlined way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get started with Google Consent Mode<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookie scanners as explorative tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
But the cookie scanner technology is about more than just data law compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the recent years, the cookie scanner technology has shown itself to be an important explorative tool in investigative journalism \u2013 as a revealer of the hidden things of the Internet that invade our private lives and democratic institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookie scanner reveals ad tech surveillance of EU government websites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In 2019, a special Cookiebot CMP report on the ad tech surveillance of public sector websites in major EU nation states<\/a> was released in which the Cookiebot CMP cookie scanner technology to analyze tracking that occurred during simulated visits to thousands of pages across official government websites and public health service websites in all 27 EU member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookiebot CMP<\/a> found over 100 advertising technology companies systematically and invisibly tracking EU citizens<\/strong> when they visit their governments online. Our cookie scan report made news headlines globally, including TechCrunch, BBC and Financial Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cookiebot](\"\/media\/3590\/photo4.jpg?width=430&\")
Ad tech companies are extensively tracking EU citizens who visit non-ad funded government and public sector websites.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Read the full Cookiebot CMP report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cookie scanners and the ad tech industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustation](\"\/media\/4443\/airport-scanner.jpg?width=500&\")