Microsoft Clarity: Consent Mode prevents cookies, not every measurement
Requirements
Access to the Clarity and Consent configuration as well as a test environment without consent already given.
For EEA/UK/CH Clarity requires consent signals for full functionality. In consent mode, no clarity cookies are set before consent; At the same time, Microsoft documents that collect requests and basic interaction measurements can continue without cookie consent. For strict “We don’t save!” is this to be distinguished from “not loading at all”.
Check
After the change, check browser memory, network connections and web server, proxy and application logs separately. A product setting does not automatically prove that no visitor IP is stored at all levels.
Basics of visitor recognition
For classification purposes, Cookieless is not automatically tracking-free and Use unique visitors without recognition . What is important is not just the presence of cookies, but also whether requests are merged via sessions, hashes, local storage or other features.
Reset
If the reduced configuration affects a required function, restore only the relevant setting and then recheck data flow, storage, retention and third-party connections.
Related guides
Sources and verification
This guide is based on multiple current sources. Vendor documentation is not treated as proof that every concrete installation automatically follows the same privacy characteristics.
Important: IP processing is not IP storage
An IP address has to be processed to establish and deliver a network connection. Hosting providers, firewalls or DDoS protection may also process or retain it for a limited time for security purposes. No Logging distinguishes this security layer from unnecessary persistent visitor logging by the website, application and ordinary access logs.