Industry News

Shopify’s Spring ’26 Edition dropped 150+ updates on June 17, 2026. Most are about revenue: AI channels, agentic checkout, WhatsApp marketing, 365-day sessions. Every one of them also expands the surface where trackers can fire before consent — and where CIPA demand letters begin. Here’s the compliance map no other article is writing.

California just handed down its largest CCPA penalty ever — nearly five times the previous record. The same agency that imposed it also just launched a dedicated Audits Division capable of showing up unannounced at any business that serves California residents. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and what you need to do before they find you first.

As of June 15, the Google Signals toggle in GA4 no longer governs what flows to Google Ads. Consent Mode’s ad_storage is now the only switch that matters — which means your cookie banner just became load-bearing for both your compliance and your remarketing.

California’s updated CCPA regulations took effect on January 1, 2026, turning longstanding “dark pattern” guidance into hard rules. Here’s what’s new, what’s now mandatory, and how to fix your consent interface before enforcement reaches you.