Tracking Pixels: The Invisible Trackers Hiding on Websites
Posted On: 2 Sep 2026 | 7 min read
You open a website, browse a few pages, click on a product, maybe type something into a search box, and leave.
Nothing unusual seems to have happened.
But behind the page, something may have been paying attention.
Tracking pixels are small pieces of code embedded in websites and emails that can help organizations understand what visitors do online. They are commonly used for analytics, advertising, campaign measurement, and retargeting. Unlike the obvious pop-up ad or cookie banner, however, the tracking itself can operate largely out of sight.
And the information involved can go beyond simply recording that someone visited a page.
Australia’s Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recently put tracking pixels under the spotlight. In June 2026, Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind reported that third-party pixels can be configured to capture webpages visited, clicks, shopping-cart activity and, in some circumstances, information entered into forms.
That raises an important question for anyone concerned about online privacy:
How much information are you revealing simply by browsing a website?
A tracking pixel, sometimes called a web pixel, marketing pixel or web beacon, is tracking technology embedded within a website, advertisement or email.
Despite the name, modern tracking pixels aren’t necessarily just tiny images. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission explains that the term can encompass HTML and JavaScript embedded in websites and emails. These technologies can record interactions such as page views, clicks, purchases and potentially information entered into forms.
Businesses use this information for legitimate purposes, including measuring whether advertising campaigns work, understanding how visitors navigate websites and improving marketing.
The privacy concern begins when users don’t realize the tracking is happening—or when information they consider private is transmitted to third parties.
That is what makes browser privacy protection increasingly important.
Exactly what a pixel collects depends on how the website and tracking technology are configured.
According to the OAIC’s 2026 investigation, browsing information transmitted through pixels could include:
The OAIC also observed situations where browsing activity could be associated with a person’s social media profile when that person was logged in. In some cases, hashed names, addresses or telephone numbers entered into forms were transmitted and could be used for matching.
Individually, a page view or button click might seem insignificant.
Combined over time, however, those signals can say much more about your interests, intentions and behavior.
One click is data. Thousands of interactions can become a profile.
Tracking pixels are not new.
What’s changing is the level of scrutiny surrounding what they collect, where that information goes and whether people genuinely understand what is happening.
The OAIC examined 50 Australian health service websites during October and November 2024. Its findings, published in June 2026, were striking: 96% used tracking technologies, 52% used a third-party tracking pixel, and among organizations using third-party tracking pixels, 77% did not mention them in their privacy policies.
The health context makes the privacy implications particularly clear.
Imagine searching for information about a medical condition, mental health support or fertility treatment. A visitor may assume that researching a sensitive subject is relatively private.
But the OAIC found examples of browsing activity involving health-related pages, searches, questionnaires and medication categories being transmitted through tracking technologies. It subsequently determined in two investigations that health service providers had interfered with individuals’ privacy through their use of third-party tracking pixels.
This isn’t simply a conversation about annoying advertisements anymore.
It’s a conversation about personal data protection.
Cookies and tracking pixels are often discussed together, but they aren’t the same thing.
A cookie is information stored by your browser. Cookies can perform useful functions such as keeping you logged in, remembering preferences or retaining items in a shopping cart. Certain cookies can also be used for advertising and cross-site tracking.
Tracking pixels are embedded within the website’s code and can trigger the collection or transmission of information when particular actions occur.
That distinction matters because deleting cookies doesn’t necessarily eliminate other forms of website tracking.
The FTC has specifically warned that conventional controls such as blocking third-party cookies may not entirely prevent pixels from collecting and sharing information.
And pixels are only part of the wider tracking ecosystem.
Websites may also use tracking scripts, advertising identifiers, IP addresses and browser fingerprinting to understand visitors and their behavior.
Online privacy therefore requires a broader approach than periodically clearing your cookies.
Not necessarily.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions around private browsing.
Incognito or private browsing primarily controls what your browser retains locally after the session. Depending on the browser, this may include browsing history, cookies and certain site data.
It does not automatically prevent websites or third-party technologies from receiving information while you’re actively browsing.
Similarly, deleting your browsing history doesn’t erase information that may already have been transmitted to another organization.
Private browsing is useful.
But private browsing and private from the internet are not the same thing.
Completely eliminating every form of online tracking isn’t realistic for most people. But you can reduce unnecessary tracking and gain greater control over your digital footprint.
Start with your browser. Review privacy settings, third-party cookie controls and site permissions. Keep the browser updated so you benefit from its latest privacy and security protections.
Pay attention to consent banners too. Clicking “Accept All” has become almost automatic, but reviewing optional advertising and analytics permissions can reduce unnecessary data collection when meaningful choices are provided.
Using reputable anti-tracking software and an ad blocker can also help reduce requests to known tracking and advertising services.
A Secure VPN adds another privacy layer by masking your normal public IP address from destination websites and encrypting traffic between your device and the VPN server. A VPN doesn’t stop every form of tracking or make you anonymous, but it can help limit one important signal associated with your browsing activity.
Most importantly, think of privacy as layers rather than a single switch.
As tracking methods evolve, relying on one privacy control isn’t always enough.
AVP Suite brings together Anti-Tracking Protection, Browser Privacy, Smart Ad Blocker, Privacy Shield, Safe Browsing and Secure VPN capabilities to help users reduce unwanted tracking and gain greater control over their digital footprint.
AVP Suite’s current privacy tools are designed to help block tracking technologies, reduce browser fingerprinting and limit unnecessary collection of browsing data. Its Anti-Tracking Protection is specifically designed to block cross-site trackers attempting to build behavioral profiles.
The objective isn’t to promise complete invisibility online.
It’s much more practical:
Help you decide how much of your digital life you want to reveal.
Most people recognize an intrusive advertisement when it appears on their screen.
Tracking pixels are different.
You generally don’t see them.
You may not know when they activate. You may not know what information is being transmitted. And depending on the website, you may not immediately understand which third parties are receiving it.
That’s exactly why they deserve attention.
The OAIC’s recent findings show that even organizations themselves may not always have complete visibility into tracking technologies operating on their websites. Among the 12 organizations examined more closely by the regulator, none had conducted a Privacy Impact Assessment before using tracking pixels.
For consumers, the lesson is straightforward.
Online privacy isn’t only about protecting the information you deliberately share. It’s also about understanding the information you reveal simply by interacting with the web.
You don’t need to stop browsing, shopping, researching or connecting online.
You just need better visibility and greater control over what follows you.
Browse more. Reveal less.
No. Cookies generally store information in your browser, while tracking pixels are embedded in websites or emails and can trigger data collection or transmission when you interact with content.
Depending on their configuration, they can transmit browsing activity and potentially personal information. Australia’s Privacy Commissioner found examples involving URLs, searches, clicks, device information and, in some circumstances, information entered into forms.
Usually not. Tracking pixels and related code are generally designed to operate in the background rather than as visible page elements.
Not necessarily. Incognito mode primarily limits information stored locally after your browsing session. It should not be treated as comprehensive anti-tracking protection.
Anti-tracking tools can help identify or block known tracking technologies and reduce the amount of browsing information available for cross-site profiling. AVP Suite includes Anti-Tracking Protection alongside Browser Privacy and other digital privacy features.
Use a layered approach: strengthen browser privacy settings, review consent choices, limit unnecessary permissions, use reputable anti-tracking and ad-blocking tools, keep software updated, and consider a VPN when you want to reduce exposure of your normal public IP address.
