Getting Started with Privacy on Patrol

Last updated: September 25, 2026

We will go through everything in this article with you during your privacy implementation call with your Patrol Customer Success Manager. If you would rather set things up on your own, or you want a reference to come back to after your call, here are the guidelines to get you started.

If you also have Patrol's Accessibility tool, Getting Started with Accessibility on Patrol is the getting started guide for that product.

What is CIPA?

CIPA is the California Invasion of Privacy Act. Plaintiffs have argued that collecting visitor data before a shopper opts in counts as wiretapping, which is why timing matters at the code level and not just in a cookie banner. Patrol installs a privacy blocker at the very top of your theme, so trackers are blocked before anything else on the page runs.

Opt-in rules vary by region. Patrol detects where each shopper is located and applies the right default: opt-in in California, the EU, and the UK, and opt-out in most other US states by default.

Set up privacy and consent

Each step starts from the Patrol app inside your Shopify admin.

  1. In the Patrol app, open the Privacy tab, which sits under Accessibility in the left menu. Patrol has already scanned your store and lists the trackers it found. Click Details on any tracker to see what it collects and which regions it should be gated in.

    • Patrol's Privacy tool rescans daily. Anything new that needs a decision appears under Needs action.

  2. Click Install privacy blocker, then Create Release Theme. This copies your live theme with the blocker built in. It is a one-time install, and you will need an open theme slot.

  3. In Shopify, go to Online Store, preview the new theme, then publish it.

  4. Back in Patrol, click Create Privacy Choices page. This is an interactive page where shoppers can change their consent categories at any time, with a data request form under it.

    • Add it to your footer in the same way you added your accessibility statement.

    • If a shopper submits a data request, you will be notified.

  5. Click Customize Appearance under Consent banner.

    • You can change colors and position. Using Patrol's CIPA tool ensures you will not create any accessibility issues. If a color choice fails the AA or AAA contrast check, you will not be able to save it.

    • The colors you choose also carry over to your Privacy Choices page.

  6. Scroll down to Fine tune consent categories. Patrol sorts trackers into categories automatically. You can drag a tracker into a different category if you disagree. Scripts marked as handled by Shopify or needing no action do not need consent.

    • If you have not assigned a category to a tracker, Patrol blocks it under the strictest setting.

  7. Optional: connect Google Tag Manager in the Privacy tab if you use it. Without it, Patrol defaults to the strictest blocking, which can reduce how much analytics data you collect. With it connected, you can categorize tags individually. Ask your Customer Success Manager if you need help with access.

  8. Click Turn on consent gating. The banner may take an hour or two to show up on your storefront.

Need help?

Reach out to your Patrol Customer Success Manager any time, and we can walk through any step on a call.