Microsoft to enforce consent compliance for advertisers

Microsoft Advertising is ramping up enforcement of its user consent policies for advertisers targeting users in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Starting May 5, all advertisers using Universal Event Tracking (UET) must provide an explicit consent signal to avoid disruptions in ad performance.

What’s changing:

• Microsoft requires advertisers to ensure user consent before dropping Microsoft device identifiers (e.g., cookies) on user devices.
• New enforcement measures will be phased in, culminating in full implementation by the May deadline.
• Advertisers must send explicit consent signals via one of Microsoft’s approved methods to maintain compliance.

Why we care. If advertisers fail to comply, they risk losing access to crucial campaign data, including retargeting capabilities and conversion tracking, which could negatively impact ad effectiveness and ROI.

What you need to do:

• Implement UET Consent Mode to dynamically adjust how Microsoft tags behave based on user consent.
• Ensure your consent management platform (CMP) is properly configured to send the required signals.

First seen. This was first brought to our attention by PPC News Feed, which shared an email sent by Microsoft.

Bottom line. If you’re advertising in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, act now to align with Microsoft’s consent policies. Failure to comply could mean losing valuable campaign data and performance insights.