Consent Mode v2
Data & TrackingAlso: Google Consent Mode v2 · Consent Mode 2.0
Quick definition
Consent Mode v2 is Google's framework for adjusting how tags like Google Analytics and Google Ads behave based on a visitor's cookie consent choice. It adds two consent signals, ad_user_data and ad_personalization, so Google's tools know exactly what data they're allowed to collect and use for each visitor.
How it varies across Australia
Most Australian businesses are not legally required to run Consent Mode the way European Union sites are, since Australia's Privacy Act doesn't mandate a consent banner the same way the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) does. Adoption here is patchy and usually driven by businesses that also serve European traffic or run on shared global tech stacks.
See data and tracking scores across Australian industries →What it actually means
Consent Mode v2 is Google's answer to a problem it partly created. As cookie consent banners became mandatory across the European Union, Google Tag Manager (GTM), Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Ads needed a standard way to know what a visitor had actually agreed to, rather than firing every tag regardless.
The v2 update added two new consent signals on top of the original two. Ad_user_data controls whether data can be sent to Google for advertising purposes. Ad_personalization controls whether that data can be used to personalise ads. Without both set to granted, Google Ads can't use the visitor's data for remarketing or conversion tracking in the way it used to.
When consent is denied, Google doesn't just switch tags off. It uses conversion modelling to estimate what likely happened, based on aggregated, anonymised patterns from users who did consent. This is different from a cookie or pixel that reads individual behaviour. It's statistical inference filling the gap left by missing first-party data.
The practical effect is that your reported conversion numbers in Google Ads and GA4 now blend real observed events with modelled estimates. That blend is invisible in the dashboard unless you know to look for it.
Consent Mode doesn't collect less data because you're nice. It collects less data because someone said no, and Google finally built a system that listens.
How it shows up
Consent Mode v2 shows up in Google Tag Manager as a set of consent defaults and updates fired before any marketing tags load. It shows up in GA4 as a gap between total sessions and sessions with full consent, visible in the consent overview reports. It shows up in Google Ads as a divergence between reported conversions and observed conversions, with the difference labelled as modelled. If your cookie banner vendor isn't wired into GTM correctly, it shows up as tags firing before a visitor has made any consent choice at all, which is the exact failure mode Consent Mode exists to prevent.
The Australian context
Australia's Privacy Act doesn't currently require the same opt-in cookie banner model as the GDPR, so most local businesses haven't been forced into Consent Mode the way European sites have. That's changing slowly. Proposed amendments to the Privacy Act are moving Australia closer to explicit consent requirements, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) already enforces strict rules on unsolicited electronic messaging that touch the same consent infrastructure.
Australian businesses selling into Europe, or running on shared global martech stacks, often need Consent Mode regardless of local law. Waiting for Australian regulation to force the issue means rebuilding tracking under pressure rather than on your own timeline.
Where people get this wrong
Related terms
Common questions
Is Consent Mode v2 mandatory in Australia?
No, not under current Australian law. The Privacy Act doesn't require the opt-in cookie banner model that the GDPR mandates in Europe. Businesses with European traffic, or those on global tech stacks that default to European compliance standards, often implement it anyway.
What's the difference between Consent Mode v1 and v2?
V2 added two new consent signals, ad_user_data and ad_personalization, on top of the original analytics_storage and ad_storage signals from v1. These control specifically whether data can be sent to Google for advertising and whether it can be used for ad personalisation.
Will Consent Mode v2 hurt my Google Ads reporting?
It changes what you see rather than reducing performance. Visitors who deny consent are excluded from observed data but partially filled in through modelling. Your headline conversion numbers can look similar, but the mix of real and modelled data isn't visible unless you check for it.
Do I need a specific tool to set up Consent Mode v2?
You need a consent management platform that supports Consent Mode v2's signals, wired into Google Tag Manager. Most major cookie banner providers now support it natively. The setup itself is a configuration task, not a code rebuild, if your tracking is already in GTM.
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About New Rebellion
New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.
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