What is email tracking?
Email tracking, more commonly known by its English denomination, involves determining when an email or link sent to a person has been opened by its recipient. In other words, email tracking allows you to see and know when any email or link sent from a mail server was opened by the recipient. Email tracking is typically used predominantly by companies wanting to know when their emails or links sent were opened by their customers.
How is it possible to know when someone has opened the email? The answer lies in adding a tracking pixel to each email where tracking has been enabled, which records when an email has been opened by the recipient and if the links in that email have been clicked. This pixel is not visible, so to the recipient, the email appears normal.
What needs to be done to ensure that email tracking complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces restrictions on the use of this functionality. The GDPR protects the personal data of European Union citizens, and this includes information on how they interact with emails.
To comply with the GDPR when tracking email, it will be necessary to:
Obtain explicit consent from recipients before tracking their emails.
Provide recipients with clear and transparent information about how their data will be used. In this regard, they should be informed that their emails are being tracked and what information is being collected.
Offer recipients an easy way to opt out of email tracking. This will be achieved through an unsubscribe link included in every email sent.