We are committed to continuously improving Real Cookie Banner to make your website privacy compliant and user friendly. With version 5.0, we are once again setting new standards by addressing specific use cases and target groups. Thanks to translations and localizations in 17 languages, you can now easily use Real Cookie Banner in the entire EU (and Switzerland).
In this release notes, you will learn all about the latest features that have been introduced since version 4.0. Whether you are looking for privacy-compliant consent without the need for a cookie banner, an automatically generated cookie policy, or optimized solutions for data processing in third countries, Real Cookie Banner has exciting new features for you!
All the features presented can now be used on your WordPress website with Real Cookie Banner!
📌 Sticky legal links widget created with just one click
Are cookie banners annoying you? We totally understand you! Especially on websites of smaller companies or associations, where often only e.g. Google Maps or YouTube videos are integrated and tracking or marketing services are deliberately avoided, cookie banners often seem unnecessarily daunting. Nevertheless, they are the best way to fulfill the information and consent requirements of the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive – until now.
Our new feature “Banner-less Consent” solves this problem and eliminates the annoying cookie banners on such websites! If you only use essential services and those with a visual content blocker, you can do without the annoying cookie banner. The content blockers initially prevent the display of all content requiring consent, and if a visitor tries to play a YouTube video, for example, they can give their consent at the moment they try to start the video. From that moment on, YouTube videos will always load on your website. The website visitor is provided with all the necessary information to make an informed decision, which has also been confirmed by an audit by an external law firm.
An integrated check in Real Cookie Banner ensures that all services and content blockers are configured so that you can use the feature without any disadvantages.
In order to still be able to fulfil your information obligations regarding the services used, and the cookies set, you can automatically create a cookie policy for your website to meet all the legal requirements of the GDPR. All without an annoying cookie banner!
You can activate the new feature in your WordPress backend under Cookies > Settings > Consent > Banner-less consent!
Data protection is a sensitive topic, and your website visitors expect clear and transparent information about how their data is handled. Especially when it comes to cookies, many website visitors are unsure about what information is collected and how it is used. Although consent is obtained via the cookie banner, what exactly the cookies do often remains unclear.
Real Cookie Banner can now automatically create a comprehensive cookie policy for your website. This policy answers the crucial questions of your website visitors: Which cookies and technologies are used? Who uses them and on what legal basis? What data is collected, how long is it stored and what is it used for? In addition, website visitors learn how they can exercise their rights in relation to cookies, e.g. through browser settings. This way you create more trust and strengthen transparency on your website!
Even though a cookie policy is not legally mandatory, it offers numerous advantages. It meets the expectations of your website visitors, as more and more websites offer such a policy. At the same time, it ensures comprehensibility by explaining clearly and simply which cookies are used for which purposes.
You can create a cookie policy for your website by going to Cookies > Settings > General > Cookie policy page in your WordPress backend. Alternatively, take a look at the cookie policy on devowl.io as an example.
🤝 Safety mechanisms to ensure save GDPR-compliant data processing in third countries
Most cookie banners only address data processing in third countries by obtaining special consent for the USA in accordance with Art. 49 GDPR. In version 4.0 of Real Cookie Banner, we already took global data processing into account and disclosed data processing in third countries in accordance with the requirements of Art. 13 GDPR.
In the latest version, we go one step further: consent under Art. 49 GDPR is only the last resort for data processing in third countries. Before that, appropriate safeguards such as an adequacy decision should be considered. In the US, the application of the adequacy decision also depends on the self-certification of the provider according to the Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework (TADPF). Alternatively, standard contractual clauses may be necessary to contractually guarantee secure global data processing. Some EU companies do not offer standard contractual clauses, but only their own data processing agreements, although they have concluded standard contractual clauses with their subcontractors, which must also be observed.
Real Cookie Banner now takes all these cases into account – both for the GDPR (EU) and for the DSG (Switzerland). As usual, we guide you through the service configuration with easy-to-understand questions and clear explanations, so that you can go through the complex review process according to the GDPR as easily as possible without in-depth technical knowledge. We do the hard work for you!
You can specify in your WordPress backend under Cookies > Services (Cookies) > [add/edit service] in the “Data processing in countries” field, in which countries the service provider processes data and then specify in the “Safety mechanisms for data transmission” section which appropriate safeguards have been (or will be) taken.
🌐 Legally compliant use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) with automatic detection in the scanner
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are used by many websites – often without the website operators being aware of it, as they are, for example, automatically integrated by themes or plugins. CDNs use globally distributed servers to cache website data and optimize loading times for website visitors by delivering content from geographically close servers. However, the automatic location detection of visitors can lead to false positives, potentially causing the IP addresses of website visitors (personal data) to be processed in every country in which the CDN provider operates servers. This becomes problematic if these servers are located in unsafe third countries that do not meet the strict safety standards of the GDPR.
To use CDNs in the EU in a legally compliant way, appropriate safeguards must be taken in accordance with the GDPR. The only practical safeguard that can be implemented with reasonable effort is to conclude standard contractual clauses (SCCs) with CDN providers. This ensures that data processing in unsafe third countries is legally protected.
In the latest version of Real Cookie Banner, CDNs are now automatically detected by the scanner. We have comprehensively analyzed the legal situation for the 17 most commonly used CDNs and offer you step-by-step instructions directly from the scanner. This enables you to take all the necessary measures to use the CDN on your website in a privacy-compliant manner. This way, you can benefit from the advantages of a CDN while remaining legally on the safe side in the EU!
If you suspect or know that you are using a CDN on your website, go to Cookies > Scanner in your WordPress backend and run a new scan of your entire website to get suggested instructions!
🔒 Google Consent Mode (v2) support for Digital Markets Act compliance
Since March 2024, Google has been classified as a so-called gatekeeper, i.e. a particularly powerful company on the internet, by the European Commission in accordance with the Digital Markets Act. This means that Google must take stricter measures to act fairly. One of these requirements is that Google must prove that websites on which Google services process certain data have obtained the correct consent from website visitors.
The Google Consent Mode is an interface developed by Google that makes it possible to capture standardized consents and transmit them to Google. This helps Google to fulfill the new legal obligations. Using the Google Consent Mode is particularly important if you use Google services such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Floodlight or the Google Conversion Linker.
Real Cookie Banner supports the Google Consent Mode v2, which is currently necessary to fulfill the legal requirements. We have placed a strong emphasis on ensuring that the information requirements under Art. 13 GDPR are met. Website visitors also have the right to freely consent to the individual processing purposes in accordance with the requirements of the GDPR. Many alternative solutions overlook this important point and do not offer a real choice, because Google has been very imprecise in its communication with cookie banner providers. In addition, the Advanced Consent Mode suggests that data like Google Analytics can be processed (limited) without explicit consent.
In our criticism of the Google Consent Mode, we have clearly explained why this may be correct from Google’s point of view under liability law, but for you as a website operator it may lead to data protection violations. To avoid such risks, Real Cookie Banner proactively alerts you when you select settings that could cause potential legal conflicts when configuring the Google Consent Mode.
To configure the Google Consent Mode for your cookie banner, go to Cookies > Settings > Google Consent Mode in your WordPress backend and set it up securely and in compliance with data protection regulations.
🛠️ TCF v2.2 support with auto-config for Google AdSense
The Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF), developed by IAB Europe, is a standard for the digital advertising industry to ensure that user data is handled in accordance with the GDPR. It enables websites and advertisers to collect user consent for the processing of personal data and cookies and to pass it on to advertising networks in a standardized way. Real Cookie Banner now supports TCF v2.2 with GVL v3, meeting the latest requirements of the standard.
With Real Cookie Banner, you can now easily create batches of TCF vendor configurations with just a few clicks. This is particularly useful for advertising networks that work with numerous TCF vendors, where consent is required for each individual vendor. Although a manual review and adjustment of the TCF vendor settings is recommended to ensure that everything is set up optimally, Real Cookie Banner does most of the work for you.
The most popular advertising network, Google Adsense, requires the configuration of over 100 TCF vendors since February 2024 in order to be able to optimally display advertisements on websites. Real Cookie Banner therefore offers you an automatic setup of different variants of TCF vendor configurations specifically for Google Adsense. This allows you to use Google Adsense quickly and efficiently without having to spend hours manually configuring TCF as with other cookie banners – or potentially losing revenue by only obtaining consent for the vendor “Google Advertising Products” (755).
You can obtain consent for Google AdSense by first activating the standard in your WordPress backend under Cookies > Settings > Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) and afterwards configuring under Cookies > Services (Cookies) > TCF Vendors > Create TCF vendor configuration > Add vendors from ad networks.
🇪🇺 Translation and localization for Hungarian, Romanian, Greek, Finnish and Slovak (17 languages supported in total)
Real Cookie Banner has now been fully translated by native speakers into Hungarian, Romanian, Greek, Finnish and Slovak, and adapted to the specific legal requirements of the EU countries where these languages are primarily spoken. Of course, all new texts have also been added to the existing supported languages English, German (informal and formal), French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch (formal and informal), Czech, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian by human translators.
Thus, Real Cookie Banner now supports all 17 languages primarily spoken in the EU and are each used on more than 0.2% of all WordPress sites. No matter which EU country you are operating in, you can use Real Cookie Banner to fulfill the requirements of the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive in accordance with national regulations!
In addition, the texts in the service templates and content blocker templates will in the near future be machine-translated into all supported languages. To ensure the best possible quality, these translations will be revised by native speakers in the future.
☁️ 300 updates for service templates and content blocker templates
Real Cookie Banner is continuously updated by Service Cloud with a variety of service templates and content blocker templates. Thanks to internal tools, we can efficiently create and update these templates with a high quality standard. You will be proactively informed of any changes in your WordPress so that you can always obtain compliant consent!
Last year, we deliberately focused on quality rather than quantity. We optimized our data-driven workflows to provide you with comprehensive and legally compliant information for the services you use – for a widge range of possible use cases. We were able to publish around 300 updates as well as brand new service and content blocker templates.
In the future, we will be focusing more on quantity and offering templates for frequently requested and used services that we have identified based on support requests and collected telemetry data (this data is only collected if you have explicitly agreed to data collection).
🔔 Proactive notification for matching new service templates (and ignoring recommendations)
You are using a service on your website for which we do not yet have a service template? In this case, you have probably researched all the necessary legal and technical information yourself using the instructions in our knowledge base and added it to your cookie banner. However, as soon as we publish a template for exactly this service in the future, you will be proactively notified of the appropriate new service template in your WordPress. This way, you can decide for yourself whether you want to adopt the information we recommend or continue to use your own information!
In addition, you can ignore services found in the scanner if you believe that certain services do not require consent or that there is no obligation to provide information. This is especially useful if you follow a different legal interpretation and do not want to display these services in your cookie banner. This way, Real Cookie Banner gives you the flexibility you need to optimally design your website!
🔌 Expanded compatibility for 60 popular services
Real Cookie Banner is committed to ensuring that all services – with or without templates – work seamlessly on your website. Regardless of which themes, page builders, plugins, hosts or server configurations you use.
That’s why we have improved or added compatibility with 60 additional WordPress plugins, themes, web hosts, SaaS services and software libraries. Improved compatibilities include Cloudflare Rocket Loader, Debloat (Remove Unused CSS), Perfmatters (DelayJS and Lazy Loading Iframes feature), SiteGround Optimizer, SG Optimizer, HummingBird, WP Meteor, OptimizePress, Beaver Builder, Bricks Page Builder, GoodLayers Page Builder, Flatsome UX Builder, Thrive Architect (Lightbox and Vimeo videos), Elementor (Media Carousel element and Lightbox element), Kadence WP (Video Popup Block), Authentic Theme, Flatsome Theme, United Themes, GA Google Analytics PRO, WooCommerce Google Analytics, WooCommerce Order Attribution, PT Novo Shortcodes, Vantage from AppThemes, WS Forms, SureCart, NS Clonser, AI ChatBot by AYS, Pixfort, Superfly Responsive Menu, Lightbox with PhotoSwipe, Jarallax Parallax Background Videos, FacetWP, Video Slider in Divi OR Magnific Popup.
However, if a service does not work as expected, please create a support ticket! We are continuously working to further improve Real Cookie Banner.
⚡ Optimized for minimal TBT and maximal INP PageSpeed Inisghts Score
We have dug deep into the bag of tricks of performance optimization to get every last bit of speed out of Real Cookie Banner and to automatically optimize special use cases (edge cases).
The improvements now include the use of OffscreenCanvas, Lazy Require in JavaScript, fine-grained JavaScript bundle chunking with lazy loading of code for individual privacy settings, depending on cursor interactions, as well as a DOM abstraction after interactions in the cookie banner and content blocker. In addition, websites benefit from lazy loading of TCF vendor data and an optimized replication of certain TranslatePress API for multilingual websites.
Thanks to all these optimizations, websites using Real Cookie Banner show a noticeably improved Total Blocking Time (TBT) and Interaction to Next Paint (INP) according to the PageSpeed Insights Score, which is particularly relevant since March 2024. These improvements ensure that your website can load at lightning speed with a Real Cookie Banner!
🗑️ Effortlessly delete individual consent documentations
Real Cookie Banner has always provided detailed documentation of the consents so that you can fulfill your obligation to provide information in accordance with Art. 5 (2) GDPR, if necessary. The legally compliant implementation of this documentation has been confirmed by an audit of an external law firm.
The consent is documented in a way that it is not considered personal data, because it cannot be linked to a person by the website operator or with common means. However, it becomes personal data if a website visitor files a complaint and provides the UUID of the consent or the time of consent together with their IP address at the time of consent. In this case, the documentation of consent becomes personal data and thus subject to the regulations of the GDPR.
To comply with the right to erasure of personal data according to Art. 17 GDPR, Real Cookie Banner now offers the option to delete individual consent documentations from the list of consent records. In addition, consent documentation is automatically deleted after the retention period has expired to meet the requirements of data minimization according to the GDPR.
🛡️ Secure handling of failed consent documentation
It may happen that your website is accessible (for example, due to a scalable page cache), but the consents in the cookie banner cannot be documented immediately (e.g. due to server overload caused by high traffic). In such cases, Real Cookie Banner will try to document the consents as soon as the server is available again in order to comply with your legal obligations.
But what happens in the meantime? By default, only essential services are displayed in such cases to be on the safe side. However, from now on you can flexibly customize this behavior and take a higher risk by also displaying non-essential services according to the consent of your website visitor. This can be particularly useful if you expect a high volume of visitors in a short period of time, for example after appearing on a TV show or another event with a lot of media coverage.
This customization gives you control over how you want to react in such situations, allowing you to manage risk as needed while Real Cookie Banner continues to attempt to document consent in a legally compliant manner.
For about five years, we have been working with a dedicated full-time team and various freelancers with specialized expertise to continuously develop Real Cookie Banner. Thanks to this commitment, the plugin is constantly evolving to meet the requirements of the GDPR and other laws, as well as to make life easier for website owners like you.
But what makes Real Cookie Banner truly stand out? Here are some impressive hard facts:
- ~1.4 billion consent requests (based on extrapolated telemetry data)
- ~14.4 million downloads (Free and PRO versions, incl. update downloads)
- ~150,000 active installations on WordPress websites
- ~180,000 lines of code in Real Cookie Banner and its cloud services (excluding third-party libraries and infrastructure code)
- ~58,000 words of text (English) in the Real Cookie Banner plugin and in the service and content blocker templates – this corresponds to about 195 A4 pages of continuous text (using Microsoft Word default settings) and has been translated into 17 languages
These figures illustrate how extensively and carefully Real Cookie Banner has been developed and continuously improved to provide you with a powerful and reliable tool for consent management.
With version 5.0, Real Cookie Banner offers solutions for many specific use cases that are of particular importance for certain target groups and scenarios. Thanks to translation and localization into 17 languages, we have made our solution ready to use all over the EU (and in Switzerland), so that Real Cookie Banner can be easily used on websites in different countries.
Our next step is to focus on further target group-specific requirements and integrative solutions. We will make data protection even easier on WordPress websites and work on an all-in-one solution for all needs. Stay tuned for more ways to make data protection easier! 🚀🔐✨