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Cookie consent in Germany under TDDDG §25.
Germany requires consent before a site stores or reads anything on a visitor’s device that is not strictly necessary. The rule is §25 of the TDDDG, called the TTDSG until 2024, and the consent has to meet the GDPR standard.
TDDDG at a glanceOpt-in before tracking
- Applies to
- Sites and apps that store or read information on devices in Germany
- Cookie rule
- TDDDG §25, in force since December 2021 (as the TTDSG)
- Enforced by
- The state data protection authorities and the federal BfDI
- Guidance
- DSK guidance for providers of digital services
- Penalties
- Up to €300,000 for breaches of §25, and GDPR fines for the processing that follows
WHAT TDDDG REQUIRES
What §25 asks of a German cookie banner.
THE RULEConsent covers more than cookies§25 applies to any storage of information on the device and any access to it: cookies, local storage, pixels and fingerprinting alike.
WITH KATLAThe guard governs cookies. Scripts tagged with data-katla-category wait until their category is accepted. Anything left untagged runs as it would without Katla.
THE RULEOnly what is strictly necessary is exemptThe exemption covers what is absolutely necessary to provide the service the visitor explicitly asked for. German regulators read it narrowly: analytics and marketing need consent.
WITH KATLAIn GDPR mode, the cookie guard refuses every cookie outside the functional category until the visitor chooses, and deletes any that were set before it ran.
THE RULEDeclining on the first layerThe DSK expects a way to decline on the first layer of a banner that takes no more effort than accepting.
WITH KATLAAccept, Reject and Customise sit together on the first layer of the banner, and nothing is pre-selected.
THE RULEProvable and revocableConsent under §25 has to meet the GDPR standard, which includes being able to show it and to withdraw it as easily as it was given.
WITH KATLAEach decision is stored with its categories, its time and a truncated IP address, and can be queried and exported through the API, CLI or MCP server. Katla keeps the latest decision per visitor. A floating settings icon, or your own "Cookie settings" link calling katla.open(), reopens the choice on any page.
TDDDG questions, answered
A summary for website owners, not legal advice. Reviewed against the sources below.
- What is the difference between the TTDSG and the TDDDG?
- They are the same law under two names. The TTDSG took effect in December 2021 and was renamed the TDDDG in May 2024; the consent rule in §25 did not change.
- Does §25 apply to local storage and fingerprinting?
- Yes. It covers any storage of information on the device and any access to information already stored there, whatever the technology.
- Is Google Analytics allowed in Germany?
- Only after consent. Analytics is not strictly necessary for the service a visitor asked for, so §25 requires consent before its cookies are set.
- Can the banner be in German?
- Yes. Katla’s banner and generated policies are available in German, and the widget can follow the visitor’s browser language.
See what your site sets before anyone asks.
The free plan scans your site, classifies every cookie and generates the policy, without a card. The cookie checker needs no account at all.