How To Check If ad_user_data Is Granted Or Denied

Understand what you are checking

ad_user_data is about whether user data can be sent to Google for advertising purposes. In a practical CMP setup, it usually follows the visitor's marketing or advertising choice.

Check it in GTM Preview

Start GTM Preview, load the website as a fresh visitor, and inspect the consent state on early events. Before consent, the signal should match your configured default. After the visitor accepts or rejects advertising, it should update.

• Test before clicking the banner
• Test after reject all
• Test after accept all
• Reload and confirm the stored choice is applied

Compare it with ad_personalization

Many setups treat ad_user_data and ad_personalization together because both relate to advertising. They are still separate signals, so check both instead of assuming one means the other is correct.

Watch for mixed category mapping

If your banner has categories like analytics, marketing, and personalization, make sure the advertising category maps to the advertising signals. A common mistake is allowing analytics while accidentally granting advertising signals too.

Use CleanCMP to keep the mapping visible

CleanCMP maps banner categories to Consent Mode v2 signals in the same workspace where you build the banner and install GTM. That makes it easier to explain why ad_user_data is granted or denied in each test.

FAQs

Is ad_user_data the same as ad_storage?

No. ad_storage is about advertising storage. ad_user_data is about sending user data to Google for advertising purposes.

Should ad_user_data be granted before consent?

For consent-based advertising setups, it should match the default and visitor choice you have configured. Test the default before any click.

Where does CleanCMP show this?

CleanCMP includes Consent Mode v2 mapping so the advertising category can be connected to ad_user_data and related Google signals.