Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'FTC', 'reason': 'The FTC has authority over deceptive cookie disclosures and unfair tracking practices under FTC Act Section 5, including inadequate opt-out mechanisms for behavioral advertising.', 'complaint_url': 'https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Cookie and Tracking Technology Use clause as medium severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Do other platforms have similar clauses?

Yes. ConductAtlas has identified similar Cookie and Tracking Technology Use clauses across approximately 9 other tracked platforms. You can compare how platforms differ on this clause type in the cross-platform comparison view.

Cookie and Tracking Technology Use — Cloudflare

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What it is

Cloudflare uses cookies and tracking tools to monitor how you use their services and to show you targeted ads — some of these cookies stay on your device permanently until you manually delete them.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Cloudflare plants persistent tracking cookies on your device for advertising purposes that remain until you delete them, and opting out requires manual browser configuration rather than a simple toggle within Cloudflare's interface.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Cookie and Tracking Technology Use and similar clauses.

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Persistent cookies used for advertising create a long-term tracking profile linked to your device, and the policy places the burden on you to manually manage cookie deletion rather than defaulting to privacy-protective settings.

View original clause language

Cloudflare uses cookies and other tracking technologies to collect information about your use of the Services, remember your preferences, and provide relevant advertising. We use both session cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent cookies (which stay on your device until you delete them or they expire). We use cookies to: keep you logged in, remember your preferences, understand how you use our services, and show you relevant advertisements. You may be able to set your browser to refuse cookies or to delete certain cookies.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Cookie use for advertising implicates the EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC) Art. 5(3), which requires prior informed consent for non-essential cookies in all EU member states. GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) applies as the lawful basis for consent-based tracking. CCPA/CPRA §1798.120 and §1798.135 require a 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' opt-out mechanism if cookies enable cross-context behavioral advertising. FTC Act Section 5 applies to deceptive cookie disclosures. The ICO's Cookie Guidance applies for UK users.

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Applicable agencies

FTC

The FTC has authority over deceptive cookie disclosures and unfair tracking practices under FTC Act Section 5, including inadequate opt-out mechanisms for behavioral advertising.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Cloudflare Privacy Policy

Entity

Cloudflare

Document last updated

April 29, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 18, 2026

Last verified

April 18, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-003014

Document ID

CA-D-00282

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

f8e88ec9d8c545e030482f3dd3f67f81792db81930414a668aae4f61c5cebe58

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Cloudflare | Document: Cloudflare Privacy Policy | Record: CA-P-003014
Captured: 2026-04-18 11:44:46 UTC | SHA-256: f8e88ec9d8c545e0…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/cloudflare/cloudflare-privacy-policy/cookie-and-tracking-technology-use/
Accessed: May 2, 2026

Classification

Severity

Medium

Cookie and Tracking Technology Use