Where are the consumer's Cookie Consent settings stored?

Article Overview

The cookie consent settings for consumers are stored locally in the browser's local storage, specifically in a cookie called polaris_consent_settings.

Cookie Fields Reference Table

The article provides a comprehensive table of all cookie consent fields:

Field Name	Data Type	Default Values (EU / US)	GTM Mappings	Description
clientId	String	UUID / UUID	N/A	Anonymously generated UUID for recording consent choice
implicit	Boolean	true / true	N/A	Tracks user interaction with cookie banner
analyticsPermitted	Boolean	false / true	analytics_storage	Consent for Advertising Cookies
personalizationPermitted	Boolean	false / true	personalization_storage	Consent for Personalization Cookies
adsPermitted	Boolean	false / true	ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization	Consent for analytics cookies
essentialPermitted	Boolean	true / true	functionality_storage, security_storage	Consent for essential cookies
notOptedOut	Boolean	true / true	tv_not_opted_out	TrueVault GTM tag to track opt-out status

Code Examples

It can sometimes be useful to read this cookie directly if you are developing custom code around a consumer's consent state.

Another reliable way to detect consent activity is to listen for the consentChanged event.

JavaScript: Read and Parse the Cookie

function getCookie(name) {
  const cookie = document.cookie
    .split("; ")
    .find((row) => row.startsWith(`${name}=`));

  return cookie ? cookie.substring(name.length + 1) : null;
}

function readConsentSettings() {
  const rawValue = getCookie("polaris_consent_settings");
  if (!rawValue) return null;

  try {
    // Cookie values are URL-encoded in most browser implementations.
    const decoded = decodeURIComponent(rawValue);
    return JSON.parse(decoded);
  } catch (error) {
    console.warn("Unable to parse polaris_consent_settings cookie", error);
    return null;
  }
}

const consentSettings = readConsentSettings();
console.log("Consent settings:", consentSettings);
console.log("Analytics permitted:", consentSettings?.analyticsPermitted ?? null);

US Configuration Example

{
  "clientId": "77ee15e6-c9ff-47d4-9e63-5ae85f1ffec9",
  "implicit": true,
  "analyticsPermitted": true,
  "personalizationPermitted": true,
  "adsPermitted": true,
  "essentialPermitted": true,
  "notOptedOut": true
}

EU Configuration Example

{
  "clientId": "b74292b7-1623-4f00-ea03-3bd036025f99",
  "implicit": true,
  "analyticsPermitted": false,
  "personalizationPermitted": false,
  "adsPermitted": false,
  "essentialPermitted": true,
  "notOptedOut": true
}

Key Information Summary

• Storage Location: Browser's local storage in a cookie named polaris_consent_settings
• Regional Differences: Default values differ between EU and US regions, with EU having stricter defaults (most permissions set to false)
• GTM Integration: The consent settings map to specific Google Tag Manager variables for tracking purposes
• UUID Generation: Each user gets an anonymous UUID for consent tracking
• Essential Cookies: Always permitted by default in both regions