Cross Pixel
Cross Pixel is a data management platform and audience data provider used in programmatic advertising. When its pixel is present on a website, it collects browsing signals to build and sell audience segments that advertisers use for targeting. Cross Pixel is a United States company, so it both profiles visitors and transfers data to a third country, which makes it a high risk advertising tracker that must be blocked until the visitor gives explicit consent.
What does Cross Pixel do?
What Cross Pixel is
Cross Pixel is an audience data and data management platform used in the programmatic advertising ecosystem. Publishers and advertisers place its pixel so that Cross Pixel can collect browsing behaviour, categorise visitors into interest and intent segments, and make those segments available for ad targeting through data marketplaces and demand side platforms. It is an advertising data broker rather than a tool a website uses for its own analytics.
What data and cookies Cross Pixel processes
Cross Pixel sets third party advertising cookies that store a persistent identifier and the audience segments a browser belongs to. Through the pixel it receives the pages visited and contextual signals, which it uses to infer interests such as product categories or purchase intent. This identifier can be matched across many sites that carry the pixel, building a cross site profile that is shared with advertising partners.
GDPR and ePrivacy implications
Because Cross Pixel performs cross site tracking and profiling for advertising, its cookies are never strictly necessary. They require prior, freely given consent under article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive and a legal basis under GDPR article 6(1)(a), and the profiling may also engage the rules on automated processing. Loading the Cross Pixel tag before consent, or relying on legitimate interest, is not compliant in the European Union.
Data transfers and risk
Cross Pixel is operated from the United States, so any data it collects from European visitors is transferred to a third country and must rely on the EU US Data Privacy Framework or standard contractual clauses. Combined with the cross site profiling, this makes the tag a high risk processing activity. Many publishers remove undeclared data broker pixels entirely because they are difficult to justify and to document for visitors.
Practical compliance steps
Audit your tags to confirm whether the Cross Pixel pixel is present, since data broker pixels are often added indirectly by an advertising partner. If you keep it, block it behind explicit advertising consent through your CMP, name Cross Pixel and its purpose in your privacy policy, and document the United States transfer. If you cannot justify the segment selling, the safest course is to remove the pixel.
Cross Pixel and the GDPR
Cross Pixel is classified as “Marketing”. On a site that targets European visitors, it must only load after the visitor consents, and it must be listed in your cookie policy.
- Legal basis
- Cross Pixel performs cross site profiling for advertising, so its cookies are never strictly necessary. They require prior, freely given consent under ePrivacy art. 5(3) and GDPR art. 6(1)(a). Legitimate interest does not cover the building and sale of advertising audience profiles.
- Risk level
- high
- Applicable regulations
- GDPR, ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC, TTDSG (Germany), LOPDGDD (Spain), LIL (France), CNIL cookie guidelines 2020
Impact assessment (DPIA)
Cross Pixel builds cross site advertising profiles and transfers data to the United States, which is high risk processing that normally requires a DPIA under GDPR art. 35. Assess the audience segmentation, the sharing of profiles with advertising partners, the retention of the identifier and the international transfer, and consider whether the data broker pixel can be justified at all on a European facing site.
Sample text for your banner
With your consent, this website allows Cross Pixel, an advertising audience data provider, to set cookies that build interest based segments from your browsing and share them with advertising partners in the United States under standard contractual clauses. This profiling is used to show you more relevant ads. No Cross Pixel cookie is set until you accept advertising cookies, and you can change or withdraw your consent at any time from the cookie settings.
What Cross Pixel sets and contacts
- Tracking method
- Third party advertising data management and audience segmentation pixel (DMP) for programmatic advertising
- Server location
- Operated by Cross Pixel Media in the United States. Browsing signals and audience segments are processed in the US and shared with advertising partners.
- Data transferred outside the EU
- Cross Pixel is a United States company, so data collected from European visitors is transferred to the US. Any such transfer must rely on the EU US Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission standard contractual clauses.
Cookies set (2)
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| _cpx_uid | Third party, persistent | 1 year | Stores a persistent advertising identifier used by Cross Pixel to recognise the browser across sites and build audience segments. |
| _cpx_seg | Third party, persistent | 1 year | Stores the audience segments the browser has been placed in for advertising targeting. |
Third-party domains contacted (2)
cross-pixel.netc.cross-pixel.net
Frequently asked questions about Cross Pixel
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Which cookies does Cross Pixel set?
Cross Pixel sets third party advertising cookies that hold a persistent identifier and the audience segments your browser has been placed in. These are profiling cookies used for cross site ad targeting, not functional cookies, and they only have value once linked across the many sites that carry the pixel.
Do I need consent to use Cross Pixel?
Yes, explicit consent. Cross Pixel performs cross site profiling for advertising, so its cookies require prior consent under article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. They must stay blocked until the visitor accepts advertising cookies in your consent banner.
What is the legal basis?
The only valid basis is the visitor consent of GDPR article 6(1)(a) together with ePrivacy article 5(3). Legitimate interest does not cover the building and sale of advertising audience profiles, which European regulators treat as high risk processing.
Does Cross Pixel transfer data to the United States?
Yes. Cross Pixel is a United States company, so data collected from European visitors is transferred to the US and must rely on the EU US Data Privacy Framework or standard contractual clauses. Document this transfer and name Cross Pixel in your privacy policy.
Do I need a DPIA?
Very likely. Cross site profiling for advertising combined with international transfers is the kind of large scale processing that triggers a DPIA under GDPR article 35. Assess the profiling, the segment sharing and the transfer before allowing the pixel.
How do I implement Cross Pixel compliantly?
Block the pixel behind explicit advertising consent, disclose Cross Pixel and its purpose and recipients in your privacy policy, and confirm with developer tools that no Cross Pixel cookie is set before consent. If you cannot document a clear purpose, remove the pixel.
What are the alternatives to Cross Pixel?
If you want advertising without third party data brokers, consider contextual advertising, first party data strategies or EU based measurement. Removing undeclared data broker pixels and relying on consented first party signals reduces both legal risk and the number of vendors you must disclose.
How do I keep my cookie policy up to date with Cross Pixel?
Re scan your site for data broker pixels regularly, since they are often added by advertising partners without notice. List Cross Pixel, its cookies, its purpose and the United States transfer in your cookie policy, and remove the entry if you disable the pixel.
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