Google Consent Mode June 2026 Consolidation: ad_storage Becomes Sole Gate

Google's June 15 consolidation makes Consent Mode ad_storage the sole gate for advertising data, removing the Signals backstop. Privado AI reports 48% misconfiguration rate, with 40% of California sites failing GPC. For US ad tech compliance, this directly impacts CCPA risk and consent flow design. Immediate audit of Consent Mode implementation is non-negotiable.