Is having Outbrain Pixel on my site illegal?

No. The complaints do not claim the script is illegal; they claim it recorded a visitor before the visitor consented, or kept recording after the visitor declined. Loading Outbrain Pixel only after consent, or removing it when it is not used, is what removes the pattern the complaints describe.

How do I know if Outbrain Pixel fires before consent on my site?

Run the free scan. It loads your pages without clicking anything and checks every request that leaves the browser against its tracker catalog, recording the millisecond each match fired. If Outbrain Pixel appears, it fired before consent. When your banner has a reject button, the scan clicks it and reports whether the script kept firing.

Where do the case counts on this page come from?

From the complaint text of verified California Invasion of Privacy Act filings. When a complaint names this script, the case is linked to it. Complaints that are not yet available in the public record are not counted, so the number is a floor.

Advertising pixel from Outbrain

Outbrain Pixel and website tracking lawsuits

The Outbrain pixel measures visits from sponsored content and builds retargeting audiences.

What Suitcast knows about Outbrain Pixel

High risk

Type: Advertising pixel
Vendor: Outbrain

Requests the scanner matches to it

amplify.outbrain.com
tr.outbrain.com
.outbrain.com

The short answer

Outbrain Pixel is an advertising pixel from Outbrain. Suitcast rates its risk under the California Invasion of Privacy Act, CIPA, as high, because complaints describe scripts like it recording visitors before they consent. The fix is to load it only after a visitor accepts, or to remove it when it is not used.

Why complaints name it

Complaints group it with other ad pixels that report visitor activity to an ad network before consent.

The act allows $5,000 per violation, which is why firms look for scripts that run the moment a page opens.

The fix

How to stop Outbrain Pixel firing before consent

Written for the person who runs the site, with the setting to change.

Load it only after accept with an ad_storage consent requirement in Google Tag Manager or through your consent plugin.
Remove it if you are not running Outbrain campaigns.

How the scan checks this

Loads your pages like a first visit. A real browser, nothing clicked, nothing accepted.
Checks every request before the banner is answered. A request to amplify.outbrain.com is matched to Outbrain Pixel and recorded with the millisecond it fired.
Clicks reject and watches again. When the banner has a reject button, the scan presses it; if Outbrain Pixel keeps firing, the report says so.

Scanner rules and limits are on the methodology page.

Same type

Other advertising pixels the scanner checks

Scripts of the same kind carry the same pattern in complaints, and the same fix.

Questions owners ask

Whether Outbrain Pixel is a problem, how to check your site, and where the counts come from.

Is having Outbrain Pixel on my site illegal?: No. The complaints do not claim the script is illegal; they claim it recorded a visitor before the visitor consented, or kept recording after the visitor declined. Loading Outbrain Pixel only after consent, or removing it when it is not used, is what removes the pattern the complaints describe.
How do I know if Outbrain Pixel fires before consent on my site?: Run the free scan. It loads your pages without clicking anything and checks every request that leaves the browser against its tracker catalog, recording the millisecond each match fired. If Outbrain Pixel appears, it fired before consent. When your banner has a reject button, the scan clicks it and reports whether the script kept firing.
Where do the case counts on this page come from?: From the complaint text of verified California Invasion of Privacy Act filings. When a complaint names this script, the case is linked to it. Complaints that are not yet available in the public record are not counted, so the number is a floor.

Keep going

Does Outbrain Pixel fire before consent on your site?

The free scan checks every request your pages make before the banner is answered, shows the millisecond Outbrain Pixel fired, and whether it kept firing after reject.

Suitcast identifies risk indicators. It is not legal advice and does not determine compliance.