Overview
This check validates that your Adobe Analytics tags only fire when the appropriate user consent has been granted. In the modern regulatory landscape (GDPR in Europe, CCPA/CPRA in California, etc.), tracking technologies must align with the user's privacy choices.
This usually involves a "handshake" between a Consent Management Platform (CMP) (like OneTrust, TrustArc, or Didomi) and your Tag Management System (TMS). The goal is to ensure that if a user "Opts-Out" or hasn't yet "Opted-In," no Adobe Analytics beacons are sent to Adobe's servers.
Why it is important
Failing to honor consent is no longer just a data quality issue; it is a significant legal and brand risk:
Regulatory Compliance: Non-compliance with privacy laws can result in massive fines (up to 4% of global annual turnover for GDPR violations).
Brand Trust: Users expect their privacy choices to be respected. "Leaking" tracking data after a user has opted out damages consumer trust.
Data Integrity: If your analytics reports include data from users who opted out, your data is legally "tainted" and may need to be deleted entirely to achieve compliance.
Privacy Sandbox Readiness: As browsers phase out third-party cookies, relying on robust, consent-based first-party tracking is the only sustainable way to measure performance.
Implementation
ObservePoint validates consent honoring by simulating different user privacy choices and monitoring the resulting network activity.
Trigger: This check is performed using ObservePoint Journeys.
Test Case 1 (No Consent): The Journey loads the page but does not interact with the consent banner.
Validation: ObservePoint verifies that zero Adobe Analytics hits are sent.
Test Case 2 (Opt-Out): The Journey clicks the "Decline" or "Opt-Out" button on the CMP banner.
Validation: ObservePoint monitors the network log to ensure no Adobe Analytics beacons are triggered after the choice is made.
Test Case 3 (Opt-In): The Journey clicks "Accept" or "Allow All."
Validation: ObservePoint verifies that the Adobe Analytics tag fires successfully only after the click occurs.
Remediation
If tags are firing without consent, review the following technical configurations:
1. Map CMP Groups to TMS Rules
Most CMPs provide a "Consent Object" (e.g., OnetrustActiveGroups).
Action: In Adobe Launch (AEP Tags), add a Condition to your global Adobe Analytics rules. The rule should only execute if the specific consent category (e.g., "Performance Cookies") is active in the CMP object.
2. Utilize Adobe Opt-In Service
Adobe provides a built-in Opt-In Service within the Experience Cloud ID Service.
Action: Configure the Identity Service extension to "Hold" all Adobe tags until the
adobe.optIncommand receives an affirmative signal from your CMP.
3. Prevent "Race Conditions"
Sometimes tags fire before the CMP has a chance to load or read the user's previous preference.
Action: Ensure your Tag Manager is configured to wait for the "Consent Decided" event before triggering any tracking rules.
4. Audit Hard-coded Tags
Check for legacy, hard-coded AppMeasurement.js snippets that exist outside of your Tag Manager.
Action: Remove any tracking scripts that are not governed by your TMS, as these often bypass consent logic entirely.
Conclusion
Honoring user consent is a fundamental requirement of modern digital governance. By ensuring your Adobe Analytics tags strictly follow user preferences, you protect your organization from legal liability and build long-term trust with your audience.
Regular automated testing via ObservePoint Audits is the only way to prove that your privacy "promise" matches your technical "reality" on every page and for every user.