Consent records and Privacy Choices

When the visitor accepts, declines, or saves a custom mix, SiteTrust writes JSON to localStorage under sitetrust_consent. The record includes:

• Categories. Analytics, marketing, and functional, each true or false. Necessary is always on.
• Timestamp. ISO date-time of the choice.
• Consent ID. A unique ID generated for that receipt.
• Geo and country. EEA or non-EEA, plus the detected country code when the lookup succeeded.
• Banner configuration. The widget loads your Banner Setup (title, description, colors, AI disclosure, listed tools) so the receipt matches what the visitor saw.

1. Open DevTools → Application → Local Storage → your origin.
2. Find sitetrust_consent.
3. Confirm id, timestamp, and the category flags match the last click.

If the key is missing after a click, storage is blocked (some browser settings, iframes, or an error). The widget treats storage as best-effort. Site Audit Consent Records will stay ATTENTION until receipts exist.

After a choice, visitors can open Privacy Choices from the persistent control on the site. That view shows the date, the consent ID, and the current state. This is how a visitor proves they declined, and how you debug a “banner vanished but I never clicked” report: look for a leftover record.

On reload, the widget reads sitetrust_consent and applies it. The banner should not trap a person who already chose. Privacy Choices remains the way to change the choice. Clearing site data starts over, which is what you want for a clean test.

The Consent Records check wants dated receipts: choice per category, timestamp, banner version, and an ID. Free scans usually lock this row. Paid Site Audit and plaintiff-style reports treat missing receipts as incomplete evidence, not as a decorative fail.