Tracking keeps running after “reject”
A cookie banner is only as good as its link to the tracking tags. Often it stores the rejection correctly, but some tracking tags don't listen and load anyway. Nobody notices from the outside until someone looks.
How you notice
- After “reject”, Meta Pixel Helper still shows an active pixel.
- The developer tools keep showing requests to Google, Meta or TikTok after the rejection.
- Tracking cookies such as _fbp or _ga are set despite the rejection.
Common causes
Tracking tags installed past the banner
Anything hard-coded in the theme or an app isn't controlled by the banner and loads regardless of the choice.
Triggers without a consent condition
In Google Tag Manager, tracking tags fire on every page whatever was chosen in the banner.
Wrong categories
A marketing pixel is listed as “necessary” in the banner and therefore always runs.
How to check it yourself
- 01Open your website in a private window and click “reject” in the banner.
- 02Open the developer tools (F12), Network panel, and reload the page. Filter for facebook.com/tr, g/collect and analytics.tiktok.com. After a rejection nothing with cookies should appear there.
- 03In the Application panel under Cookies, check whether cookies such as _fbp or _ga were set anyway.
- 04Click through to a second page too: some tracking tags only load on the next page view.
How to fix it
- Route all tracking tags through the banner or Google Tag Manager and remove hard-coded installs.
- In Google Tag Manager, set for every tracking tag which consent it needs.
- Check the categories in the banner: advertising and analytics services don't belong under “necessary”.
Whether a setup is permissible in a given case is for your data protection officer or lawyer to judge. Trackneat shows what happens technically and gives no legal advice.
Let it be checked automatically
On every check Trackneat clicks “reject” like a visitor and reports which tracking tags fire anyway.
The free check shows you in about a minute which tracking tags run on your website and whether anything fires before cookie consent. No account needed.