Consent Mode v2 and Law 25
Tracking that respects consent, and still measures.
For Canadian stores running Google and Meta. Quebec Law 25 and PIPEDA expect a real opt-in before tracking. We set up Consent Mode v2 and your banner so tags wait for a choice, and your ad platforms keep as much signal as the law allows.
| Signal | Before a choice | After “Accept” |
|---|---|---|
ad_storage | denied | granted |
analytics_storage | denied | granted |
ad_user_data | denied | granted |
ad_personalization | denied | granted |
“Reject” keeps all four denied. “Customise” grants only what the visitor picks.
What the law expects
What Quebec Law 25 means for your tags
Law 25 is Quebec's privacy law, with most of its rules in force since September 2023. For tracking, four expectations matter most.
- Opt-inNon-essential tracking waits for a yes
- Technology that can identify, locate or profile a visitor is off by default. Analytics and advertising tags should not run until the visitor agrees.
- Clear choiceSaying no is as easy as saying yes
- Consent has to be free, informed and specific. A banner that buries the refuse option, or ticks boxes in advance, does not give a real choice.
- TransparencyPurposes and tools in plain words
- Visitors should be told what each category is for and which outside tools receive data, including when that data leaves Quebec.
- RecordsYou can show what was agreed
- Keep a record of each choice, when it was made and which banner version the visitor saw, and let visitors change their mind at any time.
And PIPEDA?
PIPEDA is the federal law for businesses across Canada. It asks for meaningful consent, and the federal privacy regulator's guidance points to express consent for most online tracking and targeted ads. In practice, one opt-in banner built to Law 25's standard covers both.
Not legal advice. This page explains how the tools work and how the rules are commonly read. Ask a privacy lawyer to review your banner, privacy policy and data flows.
Consent Mode v2
Consent Mode v2, basic or advanced: the choice that decides what Google sees.
Consent Mode passes the visitor's choice to Google's tags through four signals: ad_storage, analytics_storage, ad_user_data and ad_personalization. How the tags behave before a yes depends on the mode.
Basic mode
- Google tags do not load at all until the visitor consents.
- No data reaches Google from visitors who refuse or ignore the banner.
- Google models conversions from general patterns only, so reported numbers drop more.
- The cautious choice where you want nothing sent before consent.
Advanced mode
- Google tags load with consent denied and send cookieless pings.
- Pings carry no cookies or ad identifiers, but they do reach Google.
- Google uses them to model conversions from people who refused, so reporting holds up better.
- Worth a conversation with your legal adviser before using it for Quebec visitors.
Diagram: three browser events (page view, add to cart, purchase) wait at a consent check whose default is denied. If the visitor grants consent, the full event with its event ID goes to GA4, Google Ads and Meta. If not, only a cookieless signal goes out and Google models the conversion.
What we set up
Consent built into the tracking, not bolted on.
Part of every Tracking Implementation. Each item is tested and written up in the handover.
A banner that gives a real choice
Accept, refuse and customise on the first layer, plain-language categories, no pre-ticked boxes, and a cookie settings link on every page.
Defaults set to denied
Consent Mode v2 defaults go in before any tag loads, with all four signals denied. Tag Manager tags get the right consent checks.
Region-aware behaviour
Stricter defaults where the law asks for them, for example basic mode for Quebec visitors and advanced mode elsewhere, decided with you and your legal adviser.
Consent that follows the data
The same decision governs the Meta pixel and Conversions API, Google enhanced conversions, the server-side container and your store platform consent setting.
Tested three ways
We test with consent refused, accepted and ignored, record what fires in each case, and hand you the results in the QA log.
Records you can show
Each choice is stored with a timestamp and banner version. We document the setup so your privacy policy can describe it accurately.
Free download
The consent-ready tracking checklist
23 checks you can run yourself in a private browser window, grouped from first page load to records and policy.
- What should and should not fire before a choice
- What a fair banner looks like
- How to test accept, refuse and ignore
- Consent for Meta CAPI, server-side tagging and your store platform
- The records and policy details to keep
A printable web page and a PDF. Free, with no call needed.
Your checklist is ready.
Open it in your browser or download the PDF. Bookmark the page if you want to come back to it.
Questions
Consent questions store owners ask
Does Law 25 apply to my store if I am not based in Quebec?
It can. Law 25 is about personal information of people in Quebec, so a store anywhere in Canada or the US that sells to Quebec customers is worth checking against it. Your legal adviser can confirm how it applies to you.
Is PIPEDA enough on its own?
PIPEDA allows implied consent in some situations, but the federal privacy regulator expects express consent for most online tracking and targeted advertising. Most stores selling across Canada set up one opt-in banner that meets the stricter of the two.
Will opt-in consent cost me conversions?
Some of what you used to see will go, because people who refuse are no longer tracked. Consent Mode, server-side tagging and Conversions API recover part of it through modelling and better matching for people who agree. We show you both numbers so the change is not a surprise.
Can you write our privacy policy?
No. We are not lawyers. We set up and test the tracking, then document exactly what it does so your lawyer or policy provider can describe it accurately.
What does it cost?
Consent setup is part of Tracking Implementation ($2,000–2,500 CAD, before applicable tax, fixed quote after the audit). If you are not sure where you stand, the Tracking Audit ($1,000 CAD) tests your current banner and tags with consent refused, accepted and ignored.
Not sure what your banner really does?
Send us your store URL. The free tracking check includes what fires before a visitor makes a choice.