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Italian online business directory operated by Italiaonline. Embeds a listings widget on partner sites and runs an advertising network with display and retargeting pixels that set first party and third party identifiers.
PagineGialle is the historic Italian Yellow Pages, now operated online by Italiaonline SpA. It offers a searchable directory of Italian businesses, embedded listing widgets that publishers can place on their own sites, and a digital advertising network that combines display banners with a retargeting pixel. The brand is one of the most recognised local search products in Italy and is often integrated into local news sites, lifestyle portals and SME websites.
The embedded widget and the advertising network set first party cookies on paginegialle.it and third party cookies on partner domains such as pgadv.it. Typical identifiers include a session cookie, a long lived visitor identifier, an ad attribution cookie and a retargeting pixel that calls the Italiaonline ad servers. The pixel also collects the IP address, the user agent, the page URL and basic interaction signals such as clicks on listings and ad impressions.
The advertising and retargeting cookies are not strictly necessary, so Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive and the Italian Garante guidelines of 10 June 2021 require prior informed consent before they are written. The processing of the identifiers for personalised advertising relies on consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. Legitimate interest is not a valid basis for the marketing pixel according to the Italian Garante, the CNIL and the EDPB opinion 8/2024 on consent or pay models.
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The PagineGialle widget and the advertising pixel must be loaded only after the visitor has accepted the marketing or advertising category in the cookie banner. Refusal must be as easy as acceptance, the banner must list Italiaonline as a third party recipient and the cookie policy must describe the retargeting purpose. Visitors keep the right to oppose profiling under Article 21 GDPR and to request deletion of their identifiers under Article 17 GDPR.
Italiaonline hosts PagineGialle in Italian data centres located in Assago and Milan. There is no systematic transfer of personal data outside the EEA for the directory itself. Some advertising partners reached through the PagineGialle ad network may rely on subprocessors established in the United States, in which case Italiaonline declares standard contractual clauses and a transfer impact assessment in its public privacy policy.
Configure the consent management platform to block the PagineGialle widget and the pgadv pixel until the marketing category is accepted, declare Italiaonline SpA as a third party recipient in the privacy policy, link to the Italiaonline cookie information page, set short retention periods for the advertising identifiers, document the integration in the Article 30 records and provide a clear opt out link inside the cookie preference centre.
Websites using PagineGialle must obtain user consent under GDPR regulations.
DPIA considerations
A DPIA is recommended when the PagineGialle ad pixel is deployed on websites with large audiences or on pages dealing with health, finance or other sensitive contexts, because retargeting profiles can become detailed. Document the categories of identifiers, the matching with Italiaonline audiences and the retention period of the advertising cookies.
Sample consent text
We use the PagineGialle directory and advertising network from Italiaonline to show local business listings and personalised advertising. This sets cookies and a tracking pixel that identify your browser for ad measurement and retargeting. We need your consent to load these scripts. You can accept, refuse or withdraw your consent at any time.
Third-party domains contacted
paginegialle.itpgadv.ititaliaonline.itCookies placed
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| PGSESSID | http_session | Session | Maintains the visitor session on the PagineGialle directory widget. |
| pg_uid | http_persistent | 1 year | First party visitor identifier used by PagineGialle to recognise returning visitors. |
| pg_adv | http_persistent | 6 months | Third party retargeting cookie set by pgadv.it for ad attribution and audience matching. |
| pg_consent | http_persistent | 6 months | Stores the visitor cookie preferences for PagineGialle widgets. |
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The widget sets first party cookies on paginegialle.it such as a session identifier and a visitor cookie, plus third party cookies on pgadv.it for ad attribution and retargeting. The advertising pixel also reads a long lived identifier used for audience matching across the Italiaonline network.
Yes. The directory widget and the advertising pixel write non essential identifiers on the visitor device, so prior opt in consent is mandatory under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive and the Italian Garante guidelines of June 2021. A clear refuse all option must be offered at the same level as accept all.
Consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR is the legal basis for the advertising and retargeting cookies. Italiaonline may invoke legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR for limited directory operations and fraud prevention, but not for the marketing pixel.
Italiaonline hosts the directory in Italian data centres, so the core service stays within the EEA. Some advertising partners reached through the PagineGialle ad network may rely on US subprocessors, in which case standard contractual clauses and a transfer impact assessment are declared by Italiaonline.
A DPIA is recommended when the ad pixel is loaded on websites with very large audiences, on pages handling sensitive topics or on services aimed at minors, because the resulting retargeting profile can be detailed. For a small business listing without the marketing pixel, a DPIA is usually not required.
Load the widget and the pgadv pixel through your consent management platform, only after the marketing category has been accepted. Declare Italiaonline SpA as a third party recipient, list the cookies and their retention in your cookie policy, and provide an easy way to withdraw consent.
Comparable directory and local ad products include Google Business Profile listings, Yelp, Bing Places, TripAdvisor for hospitality and the German Gelbe Seiten or the French PagesJaunes for local equivalents. None of these alternatives removes the need for a cookie banner when retargeting pixels are used.
Add a dedicated entry for PagineGialle and Italiaonline, list the domains paginegialle.it and pgadv.it, describe each cookie, indicate the retention period, name Italiaonline SpA as joint or third party controller depending on the integration, and link to the Italiaonline privacy and cookie information pages.