A recognised hub for academic journals and articles, Cairn.info now reaches some 1.2 million readers in over 70 countries. To keep that audience’s data handled in line with modern privacy standards, the international digital library has turned to Axeptio as its consent management platform (CMP). Archana Verma-Ramond, Data Protection Officer and Head of Digital Projects, and Éric Neu, Head of Marketing and Communications, describe how the tool has delivered clarity, expertise and day-to-day independence.
A digital library with international responsibilities
Launched in 2005 by major publishing houses, Cairn.info has grown into one of the principal digital libraries for the humanities and social sciences. Its catalogue has since broadened to include law, public administration, science, technology and medicine, attracting readers well beyond the academy.
Its latest report shows more than 470,000 articles, 700 journals and 25,000 books available on the platform, consulted by nearly 1.2 million users across more than 70 countries. That international reach, coupled with the organisation’s mission-driven remit, means consent management must be treated with the same rigour as editorial quality: transparent, expert and trustworthy.
Seeking clearer oversight and faster support
With a rapidly expanding global audience, Cairn.info carried out a full overhaul of its digital ecosystem in 2024. The launch of a new site at the end of the year was an opportunity to rethink the technical and marketing stack, and the CMP emerged as a vital piece for governing how user data is collected and used.
With our previous solution it was hard to know whether users’ choices were actually being respected. We lacked clear visibility into what was firing before consent, which raised real concerns about transparency and compliance. The interface was inflexible, which slowed our teams down, and support responses could take days. With Axeptio, and thanks to Solène, our Customer Success Manager, we finally have someone responsive and trustworthy.
Archana Verma-Ramond DPO and Head of Digital Projects, Cairn.info
Faced with these issues, Cairn.info ran a quick benchmark and shortlisted three CMPs. Axeptio stood out for its usability, compliance credentials and crucially the quality of its support.
Regaining control over vendors and data hosting
Adopting Axeptio allowed Cairn.info to take back control of its consent operations. The platform gives technical teams the means to manage vendors directly and to decide independently when cookies and trackers are triggered.
Equally important was Axeptio’s commitment to hosting data in Europe, a decisive point for a user community particularly sensitive to data-protection standards.
A CMP that mirrors the site: understated, transparent, thorough
Cairn.info chose a restrained widget that fits the site’s visual identity: the logo placed clearly at the top of the banner, button colors consistent with the brand guidelines, and a dated, detailed notice that explains the purposes behind data collection.
A key design principle is parity between choices: Accept, Manage settings and Reject are presented on an equal footing, with no visual emphasis on any one option, a practice aligned with CNIL guidance. That approach sends a strong signal that user consent is being respected, not manipulated.
Preparing for a more granular, region-aware approach
As the platform’s audience grows in the United States, Québec, Switzerland and across Africa, Cairn.info must navigate a patchwork of local privacy regulations. Until now, the site has relied on the GDPR as a baseline, swapping the banner’s language between French, English and Spanish as required. That default strategy guarantees a high level of compliance but leaves little room for local nuance.
Axeptio already supports a range of frameworks, from California’s CCPA, to Québec’s Law 25 and Switzerland’s nFADP, and Cairn.info plans to make use of that flexibility. The idea is simple: keep GDPR-level rigour where it applies, and simplify the user journey where local rules permit, thereby optimising data collection without sacrificing compliance.
Axeptio gives us confidence that the solution can grow with us. It combines a user-friendly interface, prompt support, European data hosting, transparent consent handling and compliance with the main international frameworks. Those qualities let us maintain high standards while meeting the expectations of our community.
Éric Neu Head of Marketing and Communications, Cairn.info
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