What is a cookie consent banner and is it required in India?

A cookie consent banner informs visitors about cookies your website uses and (in many jurisdictions) requires their consent before setting non-essential cookies. Cookie categories: Strictly necessary cookies (session, authentication — no consent needed), Analytics cookies (Google Analytics — consent required in GDPR regions), Marketing/advertising cookies (Facebook Pixel, Google Ads — consent required). India current status: GDPR (EU law) does not apply to Indian websites serving only Indian users, but India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 (rules pending) will require consent for personal data collection — and cookies that identify individuals are personal data. Best practice now: implement a consent banner to comply with DPDP when rules are finalized. Tools: CookieYes (free up to 25K monthly visitors), Cookiebot, or Osano. For WordPress: install CookieYes plugin — auto-scans cookies, generates consent banner, respects opt-out by not loading blocked scripts. Connect Quest hosting works with all consent management platforms. Set up compliance at connectquest.co.in.