Analytics
Is Segment GDPR compliant?
Segment may only run after the visitor has agreed. It is not strictly necessary for the website to work, so loading it on arrival, before any choice, is the single most common way sites get this wrong.
- Category
- Analytics
- Needs consent
- Yes
- Leaves the EEA
- Yes
- Can be self-hosted
- No
- Recognised by
- segment.com, segment.io
- Typical cookies
- ajs_anonymous_id, ajs_user_id
What does Segment do?
A customer data platform that collects events in the browser and forwards them to other tools. Because it is a routing layer, consent has to cover every destination it feeds, not just Segment itself.
Does Segment need consent?
Yes. Segment is Analytics, which is never strictly necessary for a website to function. Under ePrivacy Article 5(3), and its national transpositions, storing or reading anything on the device for that purpose requires consent first, and that consent has to be as easy to refuse as it is to give.
ePrivacy Art. 5(3) · TDDDG § 25 (DE) · TKG 2021 § 165(3) (AT) · GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)
Does Segment send data outside the EEA?
Yes. Segment processes data outside the European Economic Area, so you need a transfer mechanism under Chapter V and you have to say so in your privacy policy. In practice this means standard contractual clauses, or a provider certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
How do we detect Segment?
We load your page in a real browser as a first-time visitor who clicks nothing, then look at what it contacted. Segment is recognised by requests to segment.com and segment.io, and we report whether it merely loaded or actually sent data, and whether it set a cookie before any choice was made.
Check your websiteThis describes the service as it is normally deployed. Your own configuration decides what actually happens, which is what a scan of your site shows. Not legal advice.