3 Questions to Ask Your CMP Provider (And the Answers You’ll Hear… or Not)

3 Questions to Ask Your CMP Provider (And the Answers You’ll Hear… or Not)

Consent management isn’t optional anymore — it’s the law. But not all Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) are built the same. So how do you know if your provider is truly protecting your organization and your users?

Here are 3 essential questions to ask your CMP provider — and what their answers really mean.

1. Where is your data hosted?

Why it matters:
Where data is stored determines which jurisdiction governs its access. Even anonymized data hosted in the U.S. can be accessed under the Cloud Act.

What you want to hear:

“Our servers are located in Canada, in a SOC2 Type 2 certified environment.”

What you’ll often hear:

“Our data is hosted securely on AWS.”
Or:
“We’re GDPR-compliant and use European data centers.”

Translation: They likely can’t guarantee your data won’t be accessed by foreign jurisdictions.

2. Do your scripts block cookies before consent is given?

Why it matters:
Displaying a banner isn't enough. Consent must be collected before any non-essential scripts are triggered — this is the core principle of compliance.

What you want to hear:

“Yes, our solution blocks marketing scripts, reCAPTCHA, YouTube, and Google Tag Manager until explicit consent is given.”

What you’ll often hear:

“We’re GDPR compliant.”
Or worse:
“Cookies are deactivated if the user clicks ‘Reject’…”

Translation: Scripts are loading before consent — meaning non-compliance.

3. Can you provide a consent log or audit proof?

Why it matters:
In case of an audit, you’ll need to demonstrate that consent was collected in a valid and traceable manner. Québec's Law 25 and Canada’s PIPEDA require proof of compliance.

What you want to hear:

“Yes, we generate an anonymized consent log, with timestamped identifiers that can be exported at any time.”

What you’ll often hear:

“Not yet, but it’s coming.”
Or:
“It’s not required if cookies are anonymized.”

Translation: You may be exposed to legal risks if a complaint is filed.

Bottom line

Data sovereignty, transparency, and privacy-by-design aren’t just buzzwords — they’re legal and ethical imperatives. Ask these three questions. Listen closely to the answers. It won’t take long to find out whether your CMP is truly protecting you — or just checking a box.

At byscuit.com, we’ve built a platform that gives real answers to these questions — because protecting people means respecting the law.