Web Beacon

A small, typically invisible graphic image (often 1x1 pixel) embedded in web pages or emails that communicates information back to a server when rendered, enabling tracking of user activities. Web beacons, also called pixel tags, tracking pixels, or clear GIFs, are used for: tracking email opens and reading behavior, monitoring website visitor activity, measuring advertising effectiveness, counting page views, and gathering statistics. Web beacons work by requesting the image from a server, which logs information like IP address, time of access, browser type, and cookies. In emails, beacons reveal when and how often messages are opened. Unlike cookies stored on user devices, web beacons are server-side—the image request itself reveals information. From a privacy perspective, web beacons raise concerns because they: operate invisibly without clear user awareness, enable cross-site tracking when combined with cookies, can collect device and usage information, and aggregate into detailed behavioral profiles. Under GDPR and ePrivacy Directive, web beacons used for non-essential purposes generally require consent. Organizations should: disclose web beacon use in privacy policies, obtain appropriate consent, honor opt-out preferences, and implement limited data retention.