Is cookie consent required in the USA?

There is no single U.S. federal requirement that every website obtain prior consent for all non-essential cookies. Requirements vary depending on the state, the type of information collected, how it is used, and the circumstances of the user.

For example, California generally gives consumers rights such as opting out of the sale or sharing of personal information rather than applying a single GDPR-style prior consent model to all cookies.

Other U.S. laws can impose different requirements. COPPA, for example, applies specific rules to online services directed to children under 13 and can treat persistent identifiers such as cookies as personal information.

For U.S. websites, the appropriate cookie and privacy controls therefore depend on the applicable state and federal requirements rather than a single nationwide cookie consent rule.