Tracking pixel
A small piece of code on a website or in an email that reports your visits and clicks to the site's owner or an outside company, often for advertising.
Also called: Meta Pixel, Facebook Pixel, web beacon, pixel tag
A small piece of code on a website or in an email that reports your visits and clicks to the site's owner or an outside company, often for advertising.
What it means
A tracking pixel is a small piece of code on a website or in an email. It reports what you do to the site owner or to a third party. Pixels started as tiny, often invisible images. Today they include code that can record which pages you view and what you click or buy. Some record what you type into a form. Well-known examples include the Meta Pixel and similar ad and analytics tags from Google and others.
The FTC says pixels do not depend on cookies, so blocking third-party cookies may not stop them. The data can also be matched to your social media profile. Pixels are often used to measure and target ads.
Class actions argue that pixels sent sensitive details to companies like Meta or Google without consent. Examples are patient portal activity, video viewing and purchases. There is no "pixel law." Those cases rely on laws such as the VPPA, state wiretap laws like CIPA, and the federal wiretap law.
What it means for you
You usually learn about pixels from a settlement notice, not from the website. A notice may say a site you used shared your visits, or health, video or purchase details, through tracking code. If so, you may be a class member, often without proof. Ad blockers can stop some pixels, but the FTC says they do not necessarily block all tracking. After a hospital or health app notice, think about what you searched while logged in. Payments are usually small shares of a fund. Owed matches you with open settlements and opens the official claim form, and you submit it yourself.
Example
Say a hypothetical hospital adds an advertising pixel to its patient portal. When you search for a cardiologist and book an appointment, the pixel sends the page names and your IP address to a social media company. You never agreed to that. A class action might claim the hospital shared health information without consent. If it settles, anyone whose portal or site activity was shared during the class period could claim a share of the fund.
FAQ
No. A cookie is a small file stored in your browser. A pixel is code or an image that a page loads to report activity. Pixels can work without cookies, and the FTC notes that blocking third-party cookies may not stop them.
It can. The FTC says pixels can capture how you interact with a page, including information you type into forms, and it has taken action over health data shared with advertisers. Whether a given site did so is something a lawsuit or settlement notice would spell out.
Related terms
- FTC Tech blog: Lurking Beneath the Surface, Hidden Impacts of Pixel Tracking
- FTC consumer advice: How Websites and Apps Collect and Use Your Information
- FTC: Collecting, using or sharing consumer health information
Updated Oct 18, 2026. Plain-English definitions for general information — not legal or tax advice.