Privacy Signals
Learn how Cookient handles bot detection, Do Not Track (DNT), and Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals.
Overview
Cookient automatically detects and respects privacy signals from browsers and users. This includes detecting automated bots and respecting user privacy preferences expressed through browser settings.
Privacy Signal Types
- •Bot Detection – Skip banner for crawlers and automated tools
- •Do Not Track (DNT) – Browser header indicating tracking preference
- •Global Privacy Control (GPC) – Newer standard for privacy preference
Bot Detection
Cookient automatically detects common bots and crawlers using their User-Agent strings. When a bot is detected, the consent banner is not shown.
Why Skip Bots?
- ✓Clean analytics – Bots can't consent, so they shouldn't pollute your consent metrics
- ✓SEO performance – Googlebot can access and index your content without obstruction
- ✓Performance testing – Lighthouse, GTmetrix, and PageSpeed get accurate results
Detected Bots
Cookient recognizes the following bot categories:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Search Engines | Googlebot, Bingbot, DuckDuckBot, Yandex, Baidu |
| Performance Tools | Lighthouse, GTmetrix, PageSpeed, Pingdom |
| SEO Tools | Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz |
| Social Media | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn crawlers |
| Google Services | AdsBot, Mediapartners, GoogleOther |
Detection Pattern (Simplified)
const botPattern = /googlebot|bingbot|googleother|adsbot|
mediapartners|baidu|sogou|yandex|duckduckbot|slurp|
semrush|lighthouse|gtmetrix|pingdom|pagespeed|
screaming|ahrefs|moz|majestic/i;
const isBot = botPattern.test(navigator.userAgent);Do Not Track (DNT)
Do Not Track is a browser setting that sends a signal to websites indicating the user doesn't want to be tracked. When DNT is enabled, Cookient can automatically set consent to "reject all".
How Users Enable DNT
- •Chrome: Settings → Privacy → Send a "Do Not Track" request
- •Firefox: Settings → Privacy → Enhanced Tracking Protection
- •Safari: Uses Intelligent Tracking Prevention instead
- •Edge: Settings → Privacy → Send "Do Not Track" requests
DNT Detection
// Check if DNT is enabled
const dntEnabled =
navigator.doNotTrack === "1" ||
navigator.doNotTrack === "yes" ||
window.doNotTrack === "1";Global Privacy Control (GPC)
GPC is a newer standard that communicates a user's privacy preferences to websites. Unlike DNT, GPC has legal backing under CCPA and is recognized by regulators.
GPC vs DNT
| Feature | DNT | GPC |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Voluntary | Legally recognized (CCPA) |
| Browser support | All major browsers | Firefox, Brave, DuckDuckGo, extensions |
| Website adoption | Low | Growing |
| Meaning | "Don't track me" | "Don't sell my data" |
GPC Detection
// Check if GPC is enabled
const gpcEnabled = navigator.globalPrivacyControl === true;Configuration
You can configure how Cookient responds to privacy signals in your banner settings.
Available Options
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Skip bots | Enabled | Don't show banner to detected bots |
| Respect DNT | Disabled | Auto-reject when DNT is enabled |
| Respect GPC | Enabled | Auto-reject when GPC is enabled |
How to Configure
- Go to Domains in your dashboard
- Select your domain
- Navigate to Banner Editor → Settings
- Find the "Privacy Signals" section
- Toggle the options as needed
- Save changes
Behavior When Signals Are Respected
- •Banner is not shown (no user action needed)
- •Consent defaults to reject all optional categories
- •Functional and Security cookies still work (required)
- •A consent log entry is still recorded for audit purposes
- •User can still change preferences via the preferences modal