This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
Does "Decline" work technically? The check clicks and measures
The check clicks "Decline", reloads the page, and measures whether the same third-party connections still run afterwards. This is the only point in the entire audit where more than reading happens — it's explicitly stated in the audit rules.
- The exception is necessary because this question can't be answered by reading alone. A banner can have a decline button whose activation does nothing — and that's not uncommon in practice.
- Technically, the process is the normal use of a public page: one click, one repeat visit. No login attempt, no form input, no order.
- If everything stays unchanged after declining, that's the most telling finding in this audit area: the consent solution is then a surface with no effect.
FAQ
Why does the check click at all?
Because there's no other way to establish whether a decline actually works. The audit rules explicitly name this one exception to the passivity guarantee.
What happens if the check can't operate the banner?
Then the report states that effectiveness couldn't be established — not that it's absent. A test that wasn't run isn't a finding.