A Consent Management Platform (CMP) is software — SaaS or self-hosted — that captures, records, and enforces user consent for cookies and tracking on a website. Core functions: displays the cookie banner, blocks non-essential scripts until consent is given, stores audit-ready consent logs for GDPR Article 7(1), and passes signals to Google Consent Mode v2 and IAB TCF. Well-configured CMPs also detect the visitor's region and adapt the banner — opt-in for GDPR, opt-out for CCPA. Enterprise players include OneTrust, Didomi, Usercentrics; SMB-focused include Cookiebot, Termly, ConsentBit. No law explicitly requires a CMP, but compliance at scale without one is effectively impossible.