TL;DR
- Essential cookies are allowed without asking you; tracking cookies should need your permission in some countries.
- Some sites follow the rules, some don’t, and banners can be unclear.
- Many modern browsers block trackers automatically, but tracking can still happen in other ways.
- Best defence: use privacy tools and clear cookies regularly.
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Short answer: If you ignore the banner, most sites will still set essential cookies so the site works. In places with strong privacy rules, tracking cookies should wait for your consent but in reality, some sites set them anyway. Browsers try to block tracking, but results vary and banners can be misleading.
Read also: What Are Cookies on Websites and Why Are They Important
What happens when you just don’t click
In many countries with strong privacy laws (like the EU and UK), websites are supposed to wait for your "yes" before they set any tracking cookies.
Essential cookies like the ones that keep you logged in or remember your shopping cart, can run immediately.
But in reality, not every site follows the rules. Some will quietly drop tracking cookies anyway, others make the "reject" option hard to find, and some use entirely different tracking methods that do not rely on cookies at all.
How browsers are changing what happens with cookies
Browser makers like Firefox and Brave now block or isolate many third-party trackers automatically. This reduces a lot of cross-site tracking without you having to do anything, though it is not perfect.
How tracking still works without cookies
Cookies are not the only way to track you. Sites can use your email address, device details, or subtle signals from your browser (called "fingerprinting") to identify you across visits, even with cookies blocked.
Quick steps you can take to reduce tracking
- Check site cookies in your browser settings to see what a site stored after a visit.
- Block third-party cookies in your browser to stop cross-site tracking. This usually keeps the site working while cutting tracking.
- Use a privacy-focused browser (Brave, Firefox, or similar) to get tracker blocking by default.
- Clear cookies when you close the browser if you want less persistent storage.
- If a cookie banner is confusing, look for a settings or reject option instead of just clicking accept.
In short,
Visiting a site will set some essential cookies.
In countries with strong privacy rules, tracking cookies should need your consent, but some banners are still confusing and enforcement is mixed.
Modern browsers help block many tracking methods by default, and while blocking cookies reduces tracking, it does not remove it entirely — so your best move is to use browser privacy tools and clear cookies when you want to reset things.