{"id":3185,"date":"2023-09-12T09:15:30","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/?post_type=insight&#038;p=3185"},"modified":"2023-09-22T10:13:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T15:13:17","slug":"web-tracking-and-pixels","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/web-tracking-and-pixels\/","title":{"rendered":"Web Tracking and Pixels"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row row_style=&#8221;page-hero&#8221; full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221;][vc_column]\n\t<div class=\"hero hero--wrap    \">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"hero--background-image hero--background-image-blur\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hero--overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero-background\" style=\"background: url(https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Web-Tracking-and-Pixels-Brown-Brown-External-web-image.png) center center no-repeat; background-size: cover;\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"hero--container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero--inner width-100\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n  <div class='content-heading  100%  '>\n    <p class='text-white subheading'>Property &amp; Casualty<\/p>\n    <h1 class='text-white    '>\n      Web Tracking and Pixels\n    <\/h1>\n\t\n  <\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;]\n  <div class='content-heading  100% content-heading--ruled '>\n    \n    <h1 class='text-brand-dark-blue    h2'>\n      Web Tracking and Pixels\n    <\/h1>\n\t\n  <\/div>[vc_column_text]Website tracking technologies have become the center of attention in privacy litigation, as the plaintiffs\u2019 bar capitalizes on various privacy statutes and tort laws to file class actions, which have often resulted in significant multi-million-dollar settlements. In this two-part series, we explain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Part 1:<\/strong> Pixel tracking overview, related statutes and regulations and how they can be leveraged against companies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Part 2:<\/strong> Settlement value of cases, compliance considerations and potential implications for your cyber coverage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What Is Pixel Tracking<\/h3>\n<p>Pixel tracking is a tactic widely used in advertising and analytics to measure user interactions and monitor online behavior to collect valuable consumer data. It is one of several types of website tracking that companies utilize (e.g., pixels, chatbots, session replay and video tracking). Tracking pixels can provide insight into email opens, page views, impressions, website clicks, sales conversions and other information that gives insight into users\u2019 online activity. Unlike cookies, tracking pixels are not dependent on a browser for functionality and can operate independently to send information directly to web servers. Tracking pixels can provide more data than cookies because they have the ability to follow users across devices and cannot be easily disabled.<\/p>\n<p>Meta Pixels are a retargeting pixel that tracks user activity through cookies to collect data on HTTP headers, button click metrics and user-specific data that is then shared directly with Meta. This data can then be used to create targeted campaigns and deliver personalized messaging. Meta Pixels have become the focus of data privacy litigation, resulting in at least one hundred class-action lawsuits in the past year. In addition to federal and state data privacy regulations, lawsuits allege intrusion upon seclusion, negligent misrepresentation, invasion of privacy, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and more as causes of action.<\/p>\n<h3>Privacy Regulations and Litigation<\/h3>\n<p>The plaintiffs\u2019 bar relies on several privacy statutes to limit the tracking of individuals\u2019 activity on websites, regardless of the company\u2019s industry. However, there is sensitivity and settlement value in healthcare, which is where these suits originated.<\/p>\n<h3>Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)<\/h3>\n<p>Numerous legal observers have noted that more than 50 class-action lawsuits were filed against hospitals and healthcare systems for HIPAA-related violations associated with pixel tracking in 2022 alone.\u00b9 When a regulated business or entity subject to HIPAA uses pixel tracking technologies developed by a third party on their mobile app or website, such use may result in the collection and\/or disclosure of personal health information to the third party. An investigation of healthcare and hospital websites found that 33 out of 100 hospitals in the United States use Meta Pixels on their websites.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to existing concerns in the healthcare space, in December 2022, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a bulletin to give guidance on pixel tracking\u00b2. The bulletin stated that regulated entities are prohibited from utilizing tracking technologies in a way that would lead to unauthorized disclosures of protected health information to tracking vendors or any other violations of HIPAA rules. The OCR further defined tracking technologies as a script or code on a website or mobile app used to gather information about users as they interact with the website or app (including cookies, tracking pixels, chat functions and any other tool that discloses information about the user to a third party).<\/p>\n<p>Entities subject to HIPAA should conduct an audit of any tracking technologies used on their websites, web applications or mobile apps to determine if they are being used in a manner that complies with HIPAA. If it is discovered that the past or ongoing use of these technologies violates HIPAA, consumer notification may be required.[\/vc_column_text]\t<div class='wpb_content_element text-left btn-container'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class='btn btn-brand-green  '\n\t\t\t\thref='https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Web-Tracking-and-Pixels-Brown-Brown-External_web-2-1.pdf' target='_blank' data-toggle=''>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"btn-text-color--default\">Continue Reading<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n[vc_column_text]<em>\u00b9 McKeon, J. (2023, April 27). Data Breach Lawsuits Tied to Tracking Pixel Use On the Rise In Healthcare. HealthITSecurity. https:\/\/healthitsecurity.com\/<\/em><br \/>\n<em>news\/data-breach-lawsuits-tied-to-tracking-pixel-use-on-the-rise-in-healthcare.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00b2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022), Use of online tracking technologies by HIPAA covered entities and business associates. HHS.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>gov. https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/hipaa\/for-professionals\/privacy\/guidance\/hipaa-online-tracking\/index.html.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1368&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; style=&#8221;vc_box_circle_2&#8243;][vc_separator border_width=&#8221;2&#8243; el_width=&#8221;60&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\">Christopher Keegan<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Senior Managing Director<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=&#8221;5646&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; style=&#8221;vc_box_circle_2&#8243;][vc_separator border_width=&#8221;2&#8243; el_width=&#8221;60&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\">Britt Eilhardt<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Managing Director<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=&#8221;5649&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; style=&#8221;vc_box_circle_2&#8243;][vc_separator border_width=&#8221;2&#8243; el_width=&#8221;60&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\">Julia Krzeminski<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Intern<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=&#8221;5652&#8243; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; style=&#8221;vc_box_circle_2&#8243;][vc_separator border_width=&#8221;2&#8243; el_width=&#8221;60&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\">Miles Crawford<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Intern<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text]\t<div class='wpb_content_element text-center btn-container'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class='btn btn-brand-dark-blue  '\n\t\t\t\thref='\/us\/contact\/contact-general\/' target='' data-toggle=''>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"btn-text-color--default\">Connect Now<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row row_style=&#8221;page-hero&#8221; full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221;][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]Website tracking technologies have become the center of attention in privacy litigation, as the plaintiffs\u2019 bar capitalizes on various privacy statutes and tort laws to file class [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":3188,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"insight_category":[34],"class_list":["post-3185","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","insight_category-property-casualty"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Web Tracking and Pixels - Brown &amp; Brown<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/web-tracking-and-pixels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Web Tracking and Pixels\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row row_style=&#8221;page-hero&#8221; full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221;][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]Website tracking technologies have become the center of attention in privacy litigation, as the plaintiffs\u2019 bar capitalizes on various privacy statutes and tort laws to file class [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/web-tracking-and-pixels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brown &amp; Brown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-22T15:13:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Web-Tracking-and-Pixels-Brown-Brown-External-web-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bbrown.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/web-tracking-and-pixels\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bbrown.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/web-tracking-and-pixels\\\/\",\"name\":\"Web Tracking and Pixels - Brown &amp; 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