Software Review: Osano Manages Cookie Consent and Access Requests
The next stop on our privacy software tour is Osano, which bills itself as “the only privacy platform you’ll ever need”. That’s a bit of an overstatement: Osano is largely limited to data subject interactions, which is only one of the four primary privacy system functions I defined in my first post on this topic. . (The other three are: discovering personal data in company systems, defining policies for data use, and enforcing those policies.) But Osano handles the interactions quite well and adds several other functions that are unique. So it’s certainly worth knowing.
The two main types of data subject interactions are consent management and data subject access requests (DSARs). Osano offers structured, forms-based solutions to both of these, available in a Software-as-a-Service (Saas) model that lets users deploy them on Web sites with a single line of javascript or on Android and iOS mobile apps with an SDK.
The consent management solution provides a prebuilt interface that automatically adapts its dialog to local laws, using the geolocation to determine the site visitor’s location. There are versions for 40+ countries and 30+ languages, which Osano updates as local laws change. Because it is delivered as a SaaS platform, the changes made by Osano are automatically applied to its clients. This is a major time-saver for organizations that would otherwise need their own resources to monitor local laws and update their system to conform to changes.
Details will vary, but Osano generally lets Web visitors consent to or reject different cookie uses including essential, analytics, marketing, and personalization. Where required by laws like the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), it will also collect permission for data sharing. Osano stores these consents in a blockchain, which prevents anyone from tampering with them and provides legally-acceptable proof that consent was obtained. Osano retains only a hashed version of the visitor’s personal identifiers, thus avoiding the risk of a PII leak while still enabling users to search for consent on a known individual.
Osano’s use of blockchain to store consent records is unusual. Also unusual: Osano will search its client’s Website to check for first- and third-party cookies and scripts. The system will tentatively categorize these, let users confirm or change the classifications, and then let site visitors decide which cookies and scripts to allow or block. There’s an option to show visitors details about each cookie or script.
Osano also provides customer-facing forms to accept Data Subject Access Requests. The system backs these with an inventory of customer data, built by users who manually define systems, data elements, and system owners. Put another way: there’s no automated data discovery. The DSAR form collects the user’s information and then sends an authentication email to confirm they are who they claim. Once the request is accepted, Osano sends notices to the owners of the related systems, specifying the data elements included and the action requested (review, change, delete, redact), and tracks the owners’ reports on completion of the required action. Osano doesn’t collect the data itself or make any changes in the source systems.
The one place where Osano does connect directly with source systems is through an API that tracks sharing of personal data with outside entities. This requires system users to embed an API call within each application or workflow that shares such data: again, there’s no automated discovery of such flows. Osano receives notification of data sharing as its happens, encrypts the personal identifiers, and stores it in a blockchain alone with event details. Users can search the blockchain for the encrypted identifiers to build a history of when each customer’s data was shared.
Perhaps the most unusual feature of Osano is the company’s database of privacy policies and related information for more than 11,000 companies. Osano gathers this data from public Web sites and has privacy attorneys review the contents and score each company on 163 data points. This lets Osano rate firms based on the quality of their privacy processes. It runs Web spiders continuously check for changes and will adjust privacy ratings when appropriate. Osano also keeps watch on other information, such as data breach reports and lawsuits, which might also affect ratings. This lets Osano alert its clients if they are sharing data with a risky partner.
Osano is offered in a variety of configurations, ranging from free (cookie blocking only) to $199/month (cookie blocking and consent management for up to 50,000 monthly unique Web site visitors) to enterprise (all features, negotiated prices). The company was started in 2018 and says its free version is installed on more than 750,000 Web sites.
