TikTok Pixel and GDPR Compliance: All You Need to Know

This article provides a detailed guide to being GDPR compliant for using TikTok Pixel on your website. You will learn what TikTok Pixel is, why it is used, and how to be compliant with GDPR for using TikTok Pixel.

TikTok Pixel is a piece of code installed on your website to track the events and measure the effectiveness of your TikTok ad campaigns. It collects personal information from site visitors and monitors their activity on the website, which is subject to GDPR guidelines.

Businesses that use TikTok Pixel must ensure that they are complying with the GDPR guidelines. This includes having a legal basis for collecting and processing personal data from users and informing users about how their data is being used.

If you are a marketer who uses TikTok Pixel on your business website and serves EU citizens, this article will help you comply with GDPR guidelines for using the TikTok Pixel.

Let’s get started.

TikTok Pixel is a piece of javascript code installed on your website to track the effectiveness of your TikTok ad campaigns. Using this code, you can monitor users’ activity on your website after interacting with TikTok ads.

It helps you track various events created on your TikTok Ads account and can be used to group your audience, optimize ad campaigns, and create detailed reports.

Here is how it works:

When someone clicks on a sponsored ad in TikTok and goes to the advertiser’s website, TikTok Pixel will be loaded on their browser. When they complete an event, such as adding products to the cart, completing a purchase, or clicking a button, it will collect some information, such as the

User’s IP address, user agent details, and the time when the pixel was added. This information will be used to create the ad analytics report in the TikTok Ads account.

TikTok Pixel, similar to other tracking scripts used by advertising platforms, can have implications for GDPR compliance. Here are the ways in which TikTok Pixel impacts your GDPR compliance. 

TikTok Pixel collects personally identifiable information from users, such as their IP address and

user agent. This information is used to profile users, track their activity on their website, and more. These activities, without the explicit and informed consent of the users, are against the guidelines of GDPR.

TikTok Pixel is used to target users with personalized advertising, which is also against GDPR. It is also used to track users across different websites, which is known as cross-site tracking, which is also a no-go under GDPR.

Businesses that use TikTok Pixel need to make sure they’re following the GDPR regulations. This means they should have a legal basis for collecting and processing personal data. In this context, obtaining explicit consent from users would be the legal basis. Users should also be informed about collecting their personal information and should be allowed to request removal of personal information.

As per GDPR guidelines, you need to obtain prior consent from your site visitors to collect their personal information. You can easily obtain consent from the visitors using a cookie consent banner.

You can give users the option to accept or reject cookies or scripts based on their category. To make this work, you need to block the TikTok pixel until the user consents.

So, you need a consent management platform on your website that provides the option to block the TikTok pixel until the user consents to it.

If you are using WordPress as your CMS platform for your website, you can use the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin as the consent management platform. The plugin is equipped with advanced features to help you manage cookie consent on your WordPress website.

Follow these steps to get compliance with GDPR for using the TikTok Pixel on your website:

Step 1: Install and Activate the GDPR Cookie Consent Plugin

After purchasing the plugin, you will receive a download link on your registered email to download the plugin zip file.

• Then, log in to your WordPress admin account, go to Plugins, and select Add New.
• Click on the Upload Plugin button to upload the plugin file, then install and activate the plugin.

Step 2: Enable the Cookie Banner

• Navigate to GDPR Cookie Consent > Settings from your WordPress dashboard.
• Enable the cookie banner by checking the Enable cookie bar checkbox.
• Then, select the law type as GDPR.

You can leave other options as is and click on Update Settings to save the settings.

Step 3: Use the Custom Code Snippet

In this step, you need to paste a code snippet on the Theme file editor page under the functions.php. This code snippet will block the TikTok Pixel until the user consents. This code snippet will only work if you have installed the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin.

Copy the code snippet below:

Make sure Tiktok Pixel cookies are present inside the Analytics cookie category. If you are having it in a different category, then provide that category’s slug name in the above code instead of “analytics”.

Now go to Appearance > Theme File Editor > Theme Functions (functions.php) and paste the code snippet.

Click on the Update File button to save the changes.

Step 4: Go to the Script Blocker Page

Now, go to the GDPR Cookie Consent > Script Blocker.

From this page, you can block cookies or scripts from different sources.

Scroll to the bottom, and you’ll find the TikTok Analytics script. Enabling this will prevent the TikTok Pixel from working until users give their consent. By getting explicit consent from users to use the TikTok Pixel, you establish a legal basis for collecting personal information from site visitors and comply with GDPR.

Businesses using TikTok Pixel for their ad campaigns and operating with EU customers must ensure that they comply with GDPR guidelines. The WordPress GDPR plugin mentioned in this article will help you create a cookie banner and comply with GDPR for WordPress websites. It will help you comply with GDPR while using the TikTok Pixel on your website.

This article has outlined the step-by-step guide to help you comply with GDPR for using TikTok Pixel. If you have any doubts, drop them in the comments section, and we will be happy to help you.

We also recommend you read our article on “How to block cookies on your WordPress website?”

Thanks for reading!