Privacy
Consent management platform
Also called CMP.
Consent management platform is software that shows a consent notice, stores each visitor's choice, and signals tags whether they may fire. It is often called a CMP.
How it is measured
A CMP loads before other tags, records the answer by category, and exposes it to a tag manager or to Google Consent Mode. Many publishers also use the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework string.
Verify by loading the site with a fresh profile and no choice. The network panel should show no advertising or analytics requests until you accept. Then reject and confirm they stay absent.
Worked example
A recipe site runs 14 third-party tags. Before the CMP, all 14 fired on load. With the CMP in front, a fresh visitor triggers 3 requests until they answer, and 9 of the 14 never fire for the 41 percent who reject marketing.
The CMP vendor's own script is a request too. Its load time adds 180 ms to the first paint, and the team lazy loads its logo images.
How it differs
A consent management platform is the tool that collects and stores the choice. Cookie consent is the choice itself. The platform excludes the legal decision about what needs consent; the choice excludes the machinery for storing and enforcing it.
Common errors
Installing a CMP and leaving tags hard-coded outside it. Letting tags fire before a choice. Using a default of accept. Never testing the reject path. Forgetting to re-ask after adding a new vendor.
In practice
Open an incognito window and reload your site with the network panel open. List what fires before any click. Move anything on that list behind the platform or remove it.