5 urgent reasons enterprise leaders are reevaluating their consent management approach

Consent management is, in many ways, Privacy 1.0. As one of the first areas of privacy to be regulated (hello ePrivacy Directive), companies have been managing consumer consent through cookie banners for decades.

But the stakes have evolved. With sprawling enterprise data ecosystems, accelerating AI initiatives, and rising expectations for personalized, transparent experiences, consent management now sits at the center of customer trust and business growth.

At the same time, global privacy laws and dedicated enforcement bodies have made compliance more complex—and more critical—than ever. With hundreds of tracking technologies across websites, apps, and backend systems, privacy, security, and technology leaders—including CISOs, CIOs, and CMOs—are reevaluating the consent management tools of years past.

Modern consent management isn’t just about compliance. It provides a fully permissioned, auditable data foundation that powers AI, enables personalized experiences, and drives sustainable enterprise growth.

Keep reading to learn the five urgent reasons enterprise leaders are reevaluating their consent management solutions—and what you can do today to stay ahead.

1. Consent management is foundational to data-driven growth

Consent management remains the backbone of any effective privacy program—but today, it’s also the foundation for driving growth, unlocking AI and personalization, and strengthening customer trust.

With regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) setting a high bar, companies must ensure they obtain, record, and honor user consent efficiently. But beyond compliance, modern enterprises are realizing that strong consent infrastructure is what enables them to safely activate data across systems, innovate with AI, and deliver personalized experiences that customers can trust.

Effective consent and preference management platforms (CMPs) unify and automate consent collection across every touchpoint—web, mobile, and backend systems—ensuring a single source of truth that can power data-driven experiences with confidence. By automating consent management, organizations reduce risk, eliminate manual overhead, and create a real-time, trustworthy foundation for data use across the business.

Consider the many ways that comprehensive consent management strengthens both privacy and performance:

• Legal compliance: Comprehensive privacy laws require clear and informed consent before collecting or processing personal data—making a reliable CMP table stakes for compliance.
• Data minimization: Effective consent management helps organizations collect only the data necessary for defined purposes—supporting both regulatory obligations and sound data governance.
• Accountability and documentation: Modern CMPs maintain auditable records of consent across systems, providing verifiable accountability for regulators and internal stakeholders alike.
• Building trust: Transparent, consistent consent experiences build credibility with customers. When individuals know they have control over their data, they’re more likely to engage, share, and stay loyal to the brand.
• Fueling AI and personalization: With a unified, real-time record of consent and preferences, teams can confidently use data to train AI models, personalize experiences, and activate insights—without creating compliance risk.
• Enhanced user experience: Clear, accessible consent options—with intuitive paths to update preferences at any time—are not only required by regulation, but essential for customer trust and satisfaction.

In short, effective consent management now extends far beyond legal compliance. It builds the permissioned data foundation that empowers privacy, security, IT, and marketing leaders alike to responsibly innovate, deliver value with data, and grow customer trust at scale.

2. Consent compliance is highly visible—and foundational to customer trust

One of the most pressing reasons privacy, security, and technology leaders are reevaluating their consent management tools is that consent remains one of the most visible, easily audited elements of privacy compliance—and one of the most powerful signals of how seriously a company takes data stewardship and trust.

While requirements like fulfilling data subject requests (DSRs) or conducting data protection assessments can still be audited, these are longer processes that require more cooperation from the company in question. Consent compliance, on the other hand, is immediately observable. All a regulator—or anyone else—needs to do is scan a public-facing website to see whether pixels, SDKs, and trackers are passing data appropriately based on user consent.

And it’s not just regulators watching. Privacy advocacy groups like The Markup, Mozilla, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation regularly run similar checks—often surfacing findings that damage trust and brand reputation. For example:

• The Markup found that Facebook was receiving sensitive medical information en masse from hospital websites.
• In 2023, Mozilla released a report finding that the state of digital privacy was “Very creepy,” after studying a wide range of common consumer technology and services.
• Lawmakers are pushing the Department of Justice to prosecute tax prep companies that, according to a 2022 The Markup report, shared user data with Google and Meta

Many of these examples originate outside regulators’ offices—from advocacy groups, journalists, and even consumers themselves. When anyone can instantly audit your data practices, consent compliance becomes more than a legal checkbox—it’s a public signal of your brand’s integrity and respect for users.

That visibility creates both risk and opportunity. Organizations that invest in modern consent management not only reduce exposure—they build a transparent, trustworthy data foundation that enables safe personalization, responsible AI innovation, and lasting customer loyalty.

3. Enforcement has increased significantly—and is only ramping up

Regulatory bodies are stepping up enforcement actions, making compliant, enterprise-wide consent management more critical than ever. Sephora’s $1.2 million settlement with the California Attorney General signaled not just increasing scrutiny on consent, but also what future enforcement might look like for organizations that fail to maintain accurate, auditable consent records.

Until that enforcement action, it wasn’t entirely clear that California regulators would treat browser-based consent signals—like the Global Privacy Control (GPC)—as seriously as traditional consent mechanisms. For years, these signals were largely considered optional.

And the emphasis on consent hasn’t stopped with Sephora. Recent headlines highlight additional high-profile examples:

• Advocate Aurora Health, a prominent healthcare provider, agreed to a $12.25 million settlement in response to allegations their use of web tracking technology violated health privacy laws.
• Federal authorities publicly named 130 healthcare firms allegedly using web tracking technologies to collect data without consent.
• A recent Bloomberg report detailed the growing wave of consumer privacy lawsuits alleging the Meta pixel sent information about users viewing habits to Facebook without consent.

For today’s enterprise leaders—including privacy, security, IT, and marketing teams—these examples underscore that consent management is no longer just a compliance checkbox.

By adopting next-generation consent management tools, organizations can not only stay ahead of regulatory changes but also establish a trusted, permissioned data foundation. This foundation enables safe AI training, personalized experiences, and confident data-driven growth—while minimizing risk and operational overhead.

4. Legacy consent solutions leave gaps in enterprise compliance and innovation

While legacy consent management systems provided a temporary patch for the market’s needs after GDPR came into force, consent requirements—and the ways organizations use consented data—have evolved significantly. Many of these older solutions no longer meet the demands of modern enterprises.

• Limited coverage: Many legacy tools focus only on cookie management, overlooking the 200+ tracking technologies operating across websites, apps, SDKs, and backend systems. Today, privacy laws apply to all tracking methods, and enterprises need comprehensive consent coverage to unlock AI, personalization, and secure data sharing.
• Lack of automation: Manual processes for tag management and honoring user preferences across multiple systems not only waste resources but introduce human error. Modern enterprises require automated, real-time enforcement to safely activate consented data for personalization, marketing, and AI initiatives.
• Incomplete data visibility: Relying on static cookie scans results in outdated consent records and inconsistent compliance. Without a centralized, real-time view of consent and preferences, CISOs, CIOs, marketing leaders, and privacy teams cannot confidently use data to drive innovation, personalize experiences, or maintain customer trust.

As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, enterprises need consent and preference management solutions that go beyond legacy limitations—enhancing visibility, reducing manual work, and providing a trusted, real-time foundation for both compliance and business growth.

5. There are new, better consent management platforms on the market today

The market for consent management solutions has evolved, offering innovative tools that simplify compliance and improve user experiences. Modern CMPs like Transcend Consent Management provide full-stack regulation, frictionless user interfaces, and scalable implementation options.

Full-stack data regulation

Full-stack regulation involves comprehensive management of consent across all surfaces in a company’s digital ecosystem, including:

• Website
• Web apps
• Mobile apps
• Secondary websites
• Backend databases
• Managed marketing audiences
• Trackers and pixels
• Server-side vendors

To avoid wasting resources on manual tag management and ensure compliance with modern privacy laws, savvy businesses are adopting automated consent management solutions.

By using a next-generation CMP like Transcend Consent Management, organizations can streamline their compliance efforts, save time and resources, and reduce the risk of non-compliance.

Complete visibility into data collection

To maintain compliance and build user trust, organizations must achieve complete visibility into their data collection activities. Traditional consent management solutions often rely on static cookie scans, which can overlook real-time changes in data tracking practices.

Modern consent management solutions like Transcend Consent Management provide continuous tracker detection across all areas of a company's website—allowing organizations to quickly identify and address potential compliance issues.

Frictionless user experience

In today’s user-focused digital landscape, businesses need to ensure robust compliance while providing a seamless user experience. Legacy CMPs often utilize intrusive banners and disruptive interfaces, which can turn users off and reduce overall engagement.

Transcend Consent Management allows for comprehensive consent management without these intrusive elements, maintaining a smooth user experience that increases overall customer satisfaction.

Granular data tracking and control

To balance data rights with business efficiency, companies must understand granular tracking and data control. Legacy CMPs often force organizations to either shut down their entire marketing stack when a user opts out or allow unrestricted tracking.

In contrast, Transcend Consent Management allows businesses to selectively block tracking data at the network level while keeping essential tags operational. This feature allows organizations to exercise greater control over their marketing activities, respect user preferences, and uphold data privacy.

Swift, scalable implementation

No matter the size or industry of your business, your business needs a CMP that supports quick implementation and scalability. This flexibility allows organizations to adapt swiftly to market changes, new business lines, and evolving regulations.

Setting up Transcend Consent Management takes just minutes, and even large enterprises can go live within three weeks. By adopting a CMP that facilitates rapid scalability, companies can stay ahead of compliance requirements while maximizing operational efficiency.

About Transcend Consent Management

For when your legacy solution relies on static site scans, requires tedious maintenance, and still leaks unconsented data. Transcend Consent Management collects consent and automates enforcement across every interface, from websites to mobile apps, offering your organization:

• Continuous detection of 200+ kinds of trackers across every inch of your site.
• Automatic network-level enforcement—no manual tag manager configuration required.
• Out of the box support for IAB TCF, Google Consent Mode, and Do Not Sell (eg. Meta LDU).