Note d'experts

Google Consent Mode v2: New Features and Actions Required

Mathieu Lima
Mathieu Lima
Mis Ă  jour : 26 nov. 20259 min read

Introduction and Stakes

In November 2023, Google introduced new features for Google Consent Mode dedicated to users located in Europe (EEA) in a new version: Google Consent Mode v2. Some of these new features (new parameters ad_user_data, ad_personalization, Basic and Advanced Consent Mode, …) are critical for preserving your media performance with Google Ads and require actions to be implemented before March 2024.

In Summary

What is Google Consent Mode?

Google Consent Mode is a feature that allows adjusting the behavior of Google tags and SDKs (Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Floodlight, and Conversion Linker) based on the user's consent status and enables Google to bridge data gaps in conversions when the user has not given consent, using modeling.

What are the new features for Google Ads?

The introduction of 2 new consent parameters for advertising (in addition to ad_storage):

  • ad_user_data
  • ad_personalization

Several possible modes for adjusting the behavior of Google tags and SDKs:

  • Advanced Consent Mode
  • Basic Consent Mode

What actions to take and when?

These new features are linked to Google's need to comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by March 6, 2024.

It is necessary to implement these new consent signals by March 2024. For this, several possibilities:

  • Directly with your Consent Management Platform (CMP) compatible with GCM v2: Didomi, Cookie Consent, …
  • From Google Tag Manager at the Google tags level (Google Ads and Analytics)
  • From the Google tag (gtag.js) directly in the site code
  • From the Google SDK used for your mobile application

If you do not implement the necessary actions, you will no longer be able to use data collected in Europe for Google Ads audience features (for example, remarketing features).

New Features in Google Consent Mode v2 for Google Ads

A Regulatory Obligation: The DMA

The EU legislation on digital markets, known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), entered into force to ensure contestability and fairness of markets in the digital sector.

This legislation defines a threshold beyond which a large online platform such as Google with its Google Ads and Google Analytics services can be considered a "gatekeeper". These platforms, as major access points between businesses and consumers, can act as private regulators, creating bottlenecks in the digital economy.

To remedy these problems, the DMA imposes obligations on gatekeepers, including the prohibition of certain behaviors. Platforms reaching the established thresholds were required to inform the Commission of their core platform services by July 3, 2023, and the Commission established the list of gatekeepers. The latter then have six months, until March 6, 2024, to comply with the DMA requirements.

It is in this context that Google introduced Google Consent Mode v2 for Google Ads in late 2023, with implementation required before March 2024 to retain certain features such as those related to audiences.

New Consent Signals

Google introduces two new consent parameters for advertising (in addition to ad_storage):

  • ad_user_data: use of user data for advertising purposes
  • ad_personalization: personalization of ads (remarketing)

These two new consent signals allow for finer granularity for the advertising purpose which was previously limited to ad_storage only. With this evolution, beyond consent for placing cookies or other trackers (ad_storage), it is now possible for users to indicate whether they wish to share their data (ad_user_data) and also their choice regarding retargeting via new personalized ads subsequently (ad_personalization).

If ad_user_data or ad_personalization are not sent or are denied: User data (user-provided data or 1st-party data) is particularly critical in a context of the end of 3rd-party cookies for Google Chrome in 2024. More information in our expert note Privacy Sandbox: changes are coming to Google Chrome.

New Consent Modes

Google introduces two consent modes:

  • Advanced Consent Mode
  • Basic Consent Mode

Depending on the chosen mode, the data shared with Google Ads for advertising purposes is different:

With Advanced Consent Mode, the behavior of Google tags / SDKs adjusts according to the user's consent: cookie placement, user data sending, remarketing functionality. If ad_user_data or ad_personalization are denied: it will not be possible to use audience features on Google. This mode allows optimizing the signals sent to Google Ads as much as possible, which allows you to have a view of conversions and conversion rates closest to reality thanks to modeling, and therefore better data to optimize your media performance.

With Basic Consent Mode, Google tags / SDKs are blocked as long as the user has not given positive consent to the consent signals. No data is collected without consent. Google will only use the consented data here to model the behavior of users who have not given their positive consent. Modeling is slightly less close to reality than Advanced Consent Mode.

If your choices in terms of GDPR compliance and your data protection policy allow it, we recommend implementing Advanced Consent Mode for Google Consent Mode v2. With this mode, more signals and therefore better modeling allowing you to seek more performance for your Google Ads acquisition. This is all the more the case if Google requires Advanced Consent Mode to benefit from behavioral modeling in Google Analytics (to be followed in the coming weeks đź‘€) and this is an important feature for your analyses.

Google Consent Mode v2 for Google Analytics?

Pending further official documentation from Google for Google Analytics (potentially indicating a specific impact of Google Consent Mode v2 on GA4 data), we recommend considering that Google Consent Mode v2 concerns only Google Ads and advertising signals sent to Google Ads via Google Analytics.

If you use Google Analytics only for audience measurement without using the collected data for Google Ads: no impact and no action to plan for the moment for GA4.

To date, all official Google documentation is not yet available however. To be continued... đź‘€

How to Validate Your Google Consent Mode Implementation?

We have developed the Chrome extension Consent Mode Helper to easily validate the proper implementation of Google Consent Mode, in particular Consent Mode v2: Contact us if you want access to this extension ✌️

How Are Consent Signals Sent to Google?

Let's go for a slightly more technical analysis 🤓

With Consent Mode v1: the gcs parameter

When Google Consent Mode is activated, whether with consent or for requests sent without consent, an additional parameter is used in requests to Google Ads and Google Analytics. One can look for it specifically in the browser's network tab to check if Consent Mode is used and if data was collected with or without consent for analytics and advertising. The gcs parameter is used for this purpose. If it appears in requests, it takes a value according to the following format: G1xy. Here, “x” represents consent to Google Ads cookies (ad_storage) and can be “0” (not consented, no cookie will be set) or “1” (consented). Similarly, “y” concerns consent to Google Analytics cookies (analytics_storage) with values “0” (not consented) or “1” (consented).

The possible values are therefore:

  • G100: request in a degraded mode (Advanced Consent Mode), no cookie
  • G110: consent only to Google Ads cookies, but not to those of Google Analytics
  • G101: consent only to Google Analytics cookies, but not to those of Google Ads
  • G111: consent to Google Ads (ad_storage = granted) and Google Analytics (analytics_storage = granted)

With Consent Mode v2: the gcd parameter as well

In addition to the gcs parameter, all consent signals (including ad_user_data and ad_personalization introduced with Consent Mode v2) are transmitted with a new parameter: gcd. Initially, the "D" stood for "Default" and took the value defined by default for consent, before any user choice, and in the G1xy format like for the gcs parameter (for example: G101). With Consent Mode v2, the gcd parameter is sent with all requests (not only before the user's choice) and the format of its value changes to send all consent signals:

  • ad_storage
  • analytics_storage
  • ad_user_data
  • ad_personalization

The format is as follows: The values of consent signals can be the following:

  • “p”: value “denied” by “default” (the user has not yet made a choice)
  • “t”: value “granted” by “default” (the user has not yet made a choice)
  • “q”, “m” or “u”: value “denied” during an “update” (user choice)
  • “e”, “r”, “n” or “v”: value “granted” during an “update” (user choice)
  • “l”: the signal has not been defined (this is the case if GCM v2 is not in place)

For example for the value “13q3n3q3q5“:

  • ad_storage = “denied” during an “update” (“q”)
  • analytics_storage = “granted” during an “update” (”n”)
  • ad_user_data = “denied” during an “update” (“q”)
  • ad_personalization = “denied” during an “update” (“q”)

So EdgeAngel, What Should We Do?

You don't have a CMP (Consent Management Platform)

If you use Google Ads or Google Analytics:

  • You must implement a CMP to inform users and allow them to manage their consent.

If you use neither Google Ads nor Google Analytics:

  • If you consider that all other services (vendors) used on your site or application are functional, technical, or exempt from consent: you have nothing to do in the context of Consent Mode v2.
  • Otherwise: you must also implement a CMP.

You have a CMP in place without Consent Mode

If you use Google Ads:

  • If you wish to continue using Google Ads audience features starting March 2024, you must implement Consent Mode v2 (see next paragraph).

If you do not use Google Ads:

  • You have nothing to do in the context of Consent Mode v2.

You have a CMP in place with Consent Mode

If you use Cookie Consent or a Google certified CMP (for example: Didomi):

  • Contact your EdgeAngel representative to update your CMP.

If you use another CMP (for example: tarteaucitron):

  • You must modify your specific configuration with Google Tag Manager to implement Google Consent Mode v2, or implement another CMP compatible with GCM v2.

What impact if you use Consent Mode v1 starting March 6, 2024?

  • The ad_storage parameter is automatically mapped by Google to the new ad_user_data parameter for sites and applications that have implemented Consent Mode v1.
  • This means that with Consent Mode v1, when consent is granted or denied for ad_storage, ad_user_data respects the same parameter, thus ensuring that the performance measurement features of your original implementation continue to function as expected after March 6, 2024.
  • If ad_user_data is not implemented, Google therefore uses by default the value of ad_storage. However, this only concerns the ad_user_data parameter and we recommend implementing ad_personalization_data as soon as possible, which does not have this type of default behavior.

In any case, EdgeAngel can assist you in making the best choices regarding your objectives and constraints (business/marketing, legal, and technical), and in implementing them. Call us đź“ž

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