Record even when a visitor declines
By default, a visitor who says no on your cookie banner is not recorded. Record even when a visitor declines changes that. It is off by default, and turning it on is your decision and your responsibility.
What it does
When it is on, Whence records the visit even when a visitor says no on your cookie banner. It does not wait for an answer either: like Record without waiting for consent, visits are recorded before the visitor answers.
Recording a visitor who declined is forbidden by the GDPR in the EU, the EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Turn this on only if you do not sell there, or after checking with your lawyer.
What does not change
The visitor’s choice still applies to your ad platforms. Without marketing consent:
- nothing is sent to your ad platforms;
- the visitor’s IP address never leaves Whence;
- Whence does not read the Klaviyo cookie or keep ad click IDs.
Passwords and card numbers are never captured, as on every visit.
Turn it on
Step 1: Open the Consent block
Go to Settings > Recording & privacy. The setting sits in the Consent block, below Record without waiting for consent. The same block is in Setup > Install, and in the Whence app inside your Shopify admin.
Step 2: Click the switch
The switch stays off, and the red warning above appears in the page, with a checkbox.
Step 3: Check the box
Check I understand, and I take responsibility for recording visitors who decline. The Turn on button stays grayed out until the box is checked.
Step 4: Turn it on
Click Turn on, or Cancel to leave it off. In the Whence app inside your Shopify admin, a message confirms: “Whence now records visitors who decline.”
Turn it off
Click the switch again. Nothing is asked: from then on, a visitor who says no is not recorded. In the Whence app inside your Shopify admin, the message reads “Whence no longer records visitors who decline.”
Who can change it
Changing it needs the Store settings right. Without it, the switch is grayed out, and the block says “Changing this needs the Settings right.”
How Whence keeps track
- Who and when: every change is written to your account’s audit log, and the block shows “Changed by jane@example.com on October 2, 2026.”
- Marked visits: each visit recorded although the visitor declined is marked as recorded despite a decline. The mark is part of the file you hand over when that person asks for their data (Access and erasure requests).