With the approval of the GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation, implemented in May 2018 in the European Union, companies and organizations have started to pay full attention to consent, data processing, usage, and storage.

However, many companies make the mistake of focusing only on consent as a compliance strategy. Why would that be a mistake?

Because consent should be given throughout and for the entire data processing process, and it can be reviewed and revoked at any time. In addition, other Legal Bases of LGPD, for example, require different conditions for data usage, including consent.

This work must be done carefully and in detail to actually be able to process a person's data. Now, can you imagine how to manage the data and consents of millions of customers? That's what a CMP is for.

CMP stands for "Consent Management Platform."

A CMP is a tool/platform used to manage the consent of up to millions of users so that a company can use the data of these users for its previously stated purposes. Or, as required by LGPD, "for specific purposes."

This includes knowing what each user has consented to and giving them the opportunity to review their consents, which can be revised and even revoked, as allowed by the law.

In practice, the consent management platform works as an intermediary between the visitor and the website owner.

But, before understanding the purpose and usefulness of a CMP, we need to understand the importance of consent in the context of LGPD.

According to the General Data Protection Law, consent is the "free, informed, and unequivocal expression by which the data subject agrees to the processing of their personal data for a specific purpose." In other words, consent is permission given by the user for you to use their data.

What are the rules and guidelines for this consent? This is precisely what documents like the Privacy Policy and, in some cases, even the Terms of Use are for, as they materialize how the company intends to use the data.

That's why whenever there is a change in the Privacy Policy or Terms of Use, consents must be collected again!

Any data used without the user's consent (referred to by the law as the "data subject") would be infringing the regulation. The fines for such misuse and violation of privacy are high, and you can read more about them in this other article: Learn more about fines under LGPD.

The CMP's function, therefore, is to manage consents by recording in writing:

• What user X consented to?
• What user X no longer wants to consent to?
• Which consents did user X revoke and how does it affect you?
• When did these events occur?
• What is the order of events for a clear understanding of user X's interactions?
• Integrating user X's choices with other tools that need this information for data processing.
• Recognizing the visitor's access country and displaying the banner in the visitor's language and legislation.

This way, you won't run any risk of processing data in a way that is not authorized by law, ensuring the ethics of your work and the privacy of your customers.

But you might wonder: Can't I do this differently, saving money? Is a CMP only for this?

Well, that's what we're going to find out.

To answer this question directly: no, you don't need one.

In simple terms, the CMP's function is to show the user, with a pop-up or banner, the consent options and prove that the user has actually accepted the processing of their data, as well as remove and update previously consented data.

However, doing this manually is impractical, especially considering hundreds of thousands (or millions) of visitors to your site. The CMP allows you to have all this recorded and even update the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use to keep the user informed.

And why is it important to document consent automatically?

Suppose several users whose data is being processed say, "We do not authorize the use of our data." How can you prove that consent was given among a queue of a thousand, two thousand, a million requests?

With a CMP.

Remember: the important thing is to comply with LGPD and not harm your business. After all, before the fines, this process is time-consuming, and instead of focusing on consent management, you could focus on making sales and selling your product!

The means used to comply with the law in practice are chosen by you. The CMP is here to help you.

For the user, in practice, the CMP displays a banner that the website uses cookies and collects data and information from its users. The banner, usually in a pop-up, explains the purpose for which the site processes the data. Along with the banner, there are options: the user can accept all forms of processing, accept only some, or accept none.

The consent management platform is also responsible for integrating your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Furthermore, as required by LGPD, tags must be organized for specific purposes. A CMP like AdOpt allows this to be done simply in a customizable interface.

In this article here, we delve into the step-by-step of a cookie banner!

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) is the professional responsible for overseeing data preservation and compliance with the law.

Since the DPO is the link between the company and the ANPD (National Data Protection Authority), it is essential that they educate the company and teams.

The main task of the DPO is to accept requests, complaints, and communications from data subjects, taking steps to ensure their wishes are respected and met. The workload is significant. The CMP, in turn, ensures that data will be well managed and consent will be documented and easily accessible.

In this way, the CMP streamlines the work of the Data Protection Officer. They won't be overwhelmed, and the company won't need to increase the team to handle the task, which would significantly increase operating costs.

LGPD has already required all websites to update their way of working. It is normal for many questions to arise and initially seem difficult. But remember that we are here to answer your questions.

And if you want to know more about how a CMP can specifically help your site, click on this link and get in touch.