Why your inbox is full of French emails about pixels
You may have received a flurry of emails recently from French companies or service providers talking about a mysterious “pixel de suivi”. This is what’s going on.
Many people have been receiving a wave of emails from French companies and service providers lately, discussing a mysterious "tracking pixel." This phenomenon can be explained as follows: if you subscribe to emails from French entities that frequently send updates, you are likely to receive these messages. These emails all share a common theme: "To deliver you the most relevant content, we utilize a tracking pixel (pixel de suivi) to gauge the open rates of our emails. This data assists us in enhancing your experience."
The surge in emails is due to France's Commission nationale de l informatique et des libertés (CNIL) revising its guidelines concerning tracking pixels in emails on April 14th, after an almost year-long consultation period. A tracking pixel is a minuscule, invisible image embedded within an email, enabling the sender to measure audience reach and evaluate the efficacy of their newsletters and email campaigns.
These pixels are commonly employed by businesses that regularly dispatch marketing emails or newsletters, typically via mailing subscription services.
Following the consultation, CNIL determined that tracking pixels fall under the purview of Article 5.3 of the ePrivacy directive governing cookies. This implies that explicit consent from the end user is obligatory, unless the pixel is strictly necessary for a narrow set of technical reasons, including demonstrating compliance with obligations to provide legally or contractually required information to users.
CNIL's stance, while officially a recommendation, has prompted various news websites, service providers, and other agencies sending information, newsletters, and marketing material by email to take it seriously. The government's Service Public, for instance, is actively seeking end user consent for its weekly email newsletter. CNIL intends to intensify enforcement activities following a transition period to ensure the proper usage of tracking pixels and adequate user awareness of their rights.
The emails informing users about tracking pixels do not inherently feature one. However, they do offer subscribers the opportunity to opt in or out of receiving future emails containing tracking pixels. According to CNIL, subscribers on lists prior to April 14th should receive, within three months or so, an email enabling them to opt-out of tracking.
Those who join subscriber lists after April 14th will receive emails devoid of tracker pixels unless they explicitly opt in. Users should also be able to modify their preferences at any time through the 'tracking pixel management' link situated at the bottom of any email newsletter.
Written by urgent.news from The Local France's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
