“Cookie-Scanner” collects complete crap over time

Update 03/2025:

I continue to use Complianz because there isn’t really a better alternative at the moment. However, there are a couple of persistent issues with the plugin that can be quite frustrating.

“Cookie-Scanner” Behavior

One major issue is with the “Cookie-Scanner” in the assistant:

Every time I run a scan, it seems to find more cookies than before. In my latest scan, it reported around 80 cookies (!!!) – even though many of these cookies originated from plugins that have been uninstalled for months or from complete crap from backend plugins. It appears that the scanner accumulates historical data rather than updating to reflect the current state of the website.

Before running any scans, I always clear my entire browser cache and cookies to ensure that previous data does not interfere with the results. Additionally, I do not use the new cookie scan that is currently promoted via a popup.

Database Synchronization Issues

Another problem arises from the synchronization with the cookie database. This process produces a cluttered list, including duplicate entries and cookies from a range of unknown plugins. Ideally, this sync should only display the cookies that are actively in use, but it ends up including outdated or irrelevant data, which can be confusing.

Ineffective “Clear Cookie” Button

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect is the red “Clear Cookie” button in the scanner. One would naturally expect that clicking this button would completely purge all previously detected and stored cookies from the SQL database. Instead, it behaves similarly to the “(Start) Scan” button – merely triggering another scan rather than actually clearing out the stored cookies.

Over several months, this has resulted in the SQL table (wp_cmplz_cookies) accumulating over 80 cookies, all of which were once detected by the scanner when various plugins were active. The same issue occurs with the wp_cmplz_services table, which fills up with unnecessary entries.

Temporary Workaround

In my case, the only solution that worked was to manually clear both tables via phpMyAdmin. After doing this, subsequent scans correctly reported only the 13 cookies that are actually set by my website at that time.

In summary, while Complianz remains my tool of choice due to the absence of a superior alternative, these unresolved issues – particularly the ineffective clearing of accumulated data – significantly diminish its user experience. I sincerely hope that future updates will address these shortcomings to provide a more reliable and streamlined service.