Tradedoubler
Tradedoubler is a Swedish affiliate marketing network that enables advertisers to reward publishers (websites, influencers, comparison sites) for driving traffic or sales. It operates via tracking cookies and redirect links through domains such as clk.tradedoubler.com, setting persistent cookies when visitors click affiliate links. These are non-essential marketing cookies that require explicit prior consent from EU visitors under the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR. Data is processed primarily within the EU.
What does Tradedoubler do?
What is Tradedoubler?
Tradedoubler is a Swedish affiliate marketing network founded in Stockholm in 1999. It connects advertisers (merchants) with publishers (websites, bloggers, comparison portals, and voucher sites) who promote the advertiser's products or services in exchange for a commission on resulting sales or leads. Tradedoubler operates its own tracking infrastructure and attribution platform, enabling advertisers to measure and reward affiliate-driven conversions across a large pan-European publisher network.
How affiliate tracking works: cookies and redirects
When a visitor clicks an affiliate link on a publisher's website, they are redirected through a Tradedoubler tracking domain (such as clk.tradedoubler.com). During this redirect, Tradedoubler sets one or more cookies to record the click, the referring publisher, and a timestamp. When the visitor subsequently completes a purchase or lead action on the advertiser's website, a conversion pixel or server-side call is triggered and Tradedoubler matches it to the earlier click cookie to attribute the commission. Impression pixels may also fire when banner ads are displayed, recording ad views without a click.
GDPR and ePrivacy compliance obligations
Affiliate tracking cookies are non-essential marketing cookies. Under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive, storing or accessing information on a user's device for marketing purposes requires the user's prior informed consent. The GDPR requires that this consent be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous (a pre-ticked box or implied consent does not qualify). Neither the advertiser nor the publisher can rely on legitimate interests to justify the cookie layer: the EDPB has confirmed that tracking-based advertising requires consent. Consent must be obtained before any affiliate tracking redirect or pixel fires.
Data flows and third-country transfers
Tradedoubler is headquartered in Sweden and its core data processing infrastructure is located within the EU, so there is no inherent third-country transfer concern with the primary tracking infrastructure. However, some advertisers or publishers in the Tradedoubler network may be located outside the EU or EEA, and data about clicks and conversions may be shared with them as part of attribution reporting. Your privacy policy should reflect your role (controller) and identify Tradedoubler as a data processor or joint controller as appropriate, depending on your specific contract and data flow.
Publisher and advertiser responsibilities
Both publishers embedding Tradedoubler affiliate links and advertisers running programmes on the network share compliance responsibilities. Publishers must ensure their cookie banners capture consent before any Tradedoubler redirect or pixel fires; affiliate links should be blocked or deactivated until consent is given. Advertisers must ensure their Tradedoubler conversion pixel is only fired for consenting visitors. Both parties must list Tradedoubler in their cookie notice and privacy policy, and should have a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) in place with Tradedoubler.
Practical compliance steps
To use Tradedoubler compliantly: configure your consent management platform (CMP) to block affiliate link redirects and tracking pixels until marketing consent is granted; list Tradedoubler in your cookie notice under the 'Marketing' or 'Advertising' category; include Tradedoubler in your privacy policy as a third-party data processor; sign a Data Processing Agreement with Tradedoubler; document your legitimate purposes and ensure your consent records are auditable; and regularly audit which publishers and pixels are active in your programme to ensure none fire without consent.
Tradedoubler and the GDPR
Tradedoubler 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
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR); affiliate tracking cookies are non-essential marketing cookies requiring prior opt-in consent under ePrivacy Directive Art. 5(3).
- Risk level
- high
- Applicable regulations
- GDPR, ePrivacy Directive
Impact assessment (DPIA)
A DPIA is not automatically required but should be considered if Tradedoubler tracking is combined with other profiling. Key considerations: legal basis for placing marketing cookies (consent required), disclosure of affiliate tracking relationships in your privacy policy and cookie notice, ensuring consent is captured before any redirect or tracking pixel fires, and managing data sharing with the wider publisher and advertiser network.
Sample text for your banner
We use Tradedoubler to run our affiliate marketing programme. When you click an affiliate link, Tradedoubler may set a cookie to attribute any resulting purchase to the referring partner. Please accept to enable affiliate tracking and support our partners.
What Tradedoubler sets and contacts
- Tracking method
- Affiliate tracking cookies, click redirect links, impression pixels, conversion tracking pixels via tradedoubler.com domains
- Server location
- EU (Sweden)
Cookies set (2)
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliate Click Tracking Cookie | persistent | Up to 30 days (default; configurable per programme) | Records affiliate link clicks, the referring publisher ID, and a timestamp. Used by Tradedoubler to attribute conversions and calculate publisher commissions. Set via clk.tradedoubler.com redirect. Non-essential marketing cookie; requires prior consent. |
| Impression Tracking Cookie | persistent | Session to 30 days | Records ad impressions (banner views) for frequency capping and attribution reporting within the Tradedoubler affiliate network. Non-essential marketing cookie; requires prior consent. |
Third-party domains contacted (3)
tradedoubler.comclk.tradedoubler.comimpcredit.tradedoubler.com
Frequently asked questions about Tradedoubler
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Does Tradedoubler set cookies on my visitors' browsers?
Yes. When a visitor clicks an affiliate link that passes through a Tradedoubler tracking domain (such as clk.tradedoubler.com), Tradedoubler sets persistent tracking cookies to record the click, the referring publisher, and a timestamp. These cookies are used for affiliate attribution and are non-essential marketing cookies, meaning prior informed consent from EU visitors is required before they are set.
Is user consent required to run a Tradedoubler affiliate programme on an EU website?
Yes. Affiliate tracking cookies placed by Tradedoubler are non-essential marketing cookies. Both the ePrivacy Directive (Article 5(3)) and the GDPR require explicit, freely given, prior consent before these cookies are set. Pre-ticked boxes and implied consent are not valid. You must integrate Tradedoubler cookie firing into your consent management platform so it only fires for users who have accepted marketing cookies.
What is the legal basis for processing data through Tradedoubler?
Consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR is the required legal basis. Because affiliate tracking cookies are non-essential and serve a commercial marketing purpose, legitimate interests cannot be used as an alternative legal basis for the cookie layer. Consent must be granular, purpose-specific, and withdrawable at any time by the user.
Does Tradedoubler transfer data to countries outside the EU?
Tradedoubler's core infrastructure is based in the EU (Sweden), so the primary tracking data processing does not involve a third-country transfer. However, the wider advertiser and publisher network is global, and attribution data may be shared with network participants outside the EU or EEA. Review your specific Tradedoubler contract and data flows, and update your privacy policy accordingly if any non-EU data sharing occurs.
Do I need a DPIA for using Tradedoubler?
A DPIA is not automatically required for standard affiliate tracking, but should be considered if Tradedoubler tracking is combined with cross-site profiling or other high-risk activities. At a minimum, document your processing in your Article 30 records, ensure a Data Processing Agreement is in place with Tradedoubler, and confirm that consent mechanisms are working correctly before any cookie fires.
How do I implement Tradedoubler in a GDPR-compliant way?
Configure your consent management platform (CMP) to classify Tradedoubler under the Marketing category and block all affiliate link redirects and conversion pixels until the user opts in. Sign a Data Processing Agreement with Tradedoubler. Update your cookie notice and privacy policy to disclose Tradedoubler's role, the cookies it sets, their duration, and their purpose. Regularly audit your active publishers and pixels to ensure none fire without consent.
Are there privacy-friendlier alternatives to Tradedoubler for affiliate marketing?
Several affiliate networks offer enhanced privacy controls or first-party tracking options. For EU-focused programmes, Awin (which shares infrastructure with Tradedoubler after a historical merger attempt), CJ Affiliate, and Partnerstack are alternatives worth evaluating. Some advertisers are moving toward server-side or first-party tracking approaches for affiliate attribution to reduce third-party cookie dependency, which is especially relevant given browser cookie restrictions.
How should I reference Tradedoubler in my cookie policy?
Your cookie notice should list Tradedoubler under the Marketing or Advertising category. Include: the cookie purpose (affiliate attribution and commission tracking), the approximate cookie duration, the Tradedoubler privacy policy URL, and the domains used (tradedoubler.com, clk.tradedoubler.com). Update your policy whenever Tradedoubler changes its cookies or tracking mechanism, and ensure users can withdraw consent at any time through your CMP.
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