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BowNow is a Japanese B2B marketing automation platform by Cloud Circus that identifies company visitors via JavaScript tracking, scores leads and triggers marketing flows. Under GDPR and ePrivacy, prior consent is required before its tags load.
BowNow is a B2B marketing automation platform developed by Cloud Circus, Inc. in Tokyo. It is widely used in Japan to identify the companies behind anonymous website visitors via reverse IP lookup, score leads, send segmented emails and trigger marketing flows based on browsing behaviour.
BowNow installs first party cookies and stores identifiers in local storage to recognize visitors across sessions. It collects IP address, user agent, page views, time on site, form submissions and matches IPs against a corporate database to enrich each lead with company name, industry and size.
BowNow tracking goes beyond strictly necessary functionality and constitutes profiling. Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive and Article 6(1)(a) GDPR therefore require prior, informed and granular consent before the tag loads. Reverse IP identification can also identify natural persons, especially in small companies, so the resulting data is personal data.
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Data is transferred to BowNow servers in Japan. Japan has held an EU adequacy decision since 2019, so Standard Contractual Clauses are not strictly required, but the transfer must still appear in the Records of Processing. Verify which regional data centre is used and whether US sub processors are involved (e.g. for email delivery).
Block the BowNow tag in the strictly necessary state. A Consent Management Platform should load the script only after explicit opt in to the marketing or analytics category. On withdrawal, clear all BowNow cookies and stop sending events. Provide an easy way to access, rectify or erase BowNow lead data.
Sign a data processing agreement with Cloud Circus, document BowNow in the Records of Processing, define a clear retention policy for lead and tracking data, list each cookie in your cookie policy, train marketing and sales teams on the legal basis used, and audit your live site to verify the cookies actually written.
Websites using BowNow must obtain user consent under GDPR regulations.
DPIA considerations
A DPIA is recommended whenever BowNow is used to score leads, profile companies or combine reverse IP identification with personal lead data. Document the company identification process, retention, and the international transfer to Japan.
Sample consent text
We use BowNow to identify visiting companies and improve our B2B marketing. This installs cookies and transfers data to BowNow (Japan). You can refuse marketing cookies at any time.
Third-party domains contacted
bownow.jptag.bownow.jpapp.bownow.jpCookies placed
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| _bownow_uid | first_party | 1 year | Persistent visitor identifier used to recognize visitors across sessions for B2B lead tracking. |
| _bownow_sid | first_party | Session | Session identifier used to associate page views and form submissions in the same visit. |
| _bownow_lead | first_party | 6 months | Stores lead information once a form is submitted to support marketing automation flows. |
BowNow places tracking cookies for advertising — comply with GDPR using FlowConsent.
BowNow installs first party cookies (e.g. _bownow_uid, _bownow_sid) and stores identifiers in local storage to recognize visitors across sessions. Additional cookies appear when forms or chat are integrated into the site.
Yes. BowNow performs profiling and reverse IP identification beyond strictly necessary functions. Prior, granular and revocable consent is mandatory under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive and Article 6(1)(a) GDPR.
Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) for tracking and reverse IP identification. Form data submitted explicitly may rely on contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b)) or legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) with a documented balancing test.
Yes, data is transferred to BowNow servers in Japan. Japan benefits from an EU adequacy decision (2019), so SCC are not strictly required, but the transfer must still be documented in the records of processing.
A DPIA is recommended whenever BowNow performs systematic profiling, lead scoring or combines reverse IP identification with personal lead data, all of which are listed as elevated risk by EU supervisory authorities.
Block the tag until consent, configure short retention for lead and tracking data, sign a DPA with Cloud Circus, publish each cookie in your cookie policy, run a regular audit of the live site and offer easy access, rectification and erasure routes for prospects.
European B2B marketing automation platforms include Plezi, Webmecanik, Sendinblue (Brevo), Mautic (open source) and HubSpot EU. They can match BowNow features while keeping data inside the EEA.
List BowNow under marketing or B2B identification cookies, with provider (Cloud Circus, Inc., Japan), purpose (lead identification and scoring), retention, recipients and a link to the BowNow privacy policy. Refresh the list whenever BowNow is reconfigured.