Major Advertising Companies Use Pixels and SDKs to Track Your Online Activity–Lowey Investigates
Lowey Dannenberg is investigating the use of tracking and surveillance technology, including pixels, software development kits (SDKs), and Session Replay software across many popular websites.
What are Pixels?
Pixels are small pieces of code embedded in the background of websites and are used to track user’s actions online. Companies use them to collect data like what pages you visit, what you click and enter in forms, and sometimes even your IP address, unique identifiers, and cookies. This information is often shared with third parties for advertising or analytics — sometimes without your knowledge or consent.
What are Software Development Kits (SDKs)?
SDKs, or Software Development Kits, are bundles of code that app developers use to add features like analytics, ads, or social media tools. But many SDKs also collect user data — including location, device info, and “events” noting what actions you take within the app — and often send it to third parties. This data sharing can happen in the background, often without users ever knowing.
What is Session Replay?
Session Replay software is a form of tracking and surveillance technology used by many major companies to monitor visitors’ activity on their websites. This software poses a privacy risk because it tracks and records all of a user’s interactions on those websites, including everything the user clicks, types, enters (e.g., into a form), and hovers over with their mouse. Some companies use session replay technology without information website visitors.
Why This Matters.
Consumers do not expect to be be surveilled across the internet, and many are uncomfortable with the idea of their data falling into the hands of some of the world’s largest digital advertisers.
This technology is especially problematic when installed on sensitive websites like online pharmacies and ecommerce sites, where users enter medical or financial information.
Contact Us.
If you believe your online activity may have been shared with third parties without your consent, we’d like to hear from you. Use the form below or contact us or send an email to investigations@lowey.com and someone will reach out to your shortly.