Is having Smartlook 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 Smartlook only after consent, or removing it when it is not used, is what removes the pattern the complaints describe.

How do I know if Smartlook 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 Smartlook 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.

Session replay from Smartlook (Cisco)

Smartlook and website tracking lawsuits

Smartlook records visitor sessions and builds heatmaps from clicks, scrolling, and typing.

What Suitcast knows about Smartlook

Critical risk

Type: Session replay
Vendor: Smartlook (Cisco)

Requests the scanner matches to it

web-sdk.smartlook.com
rec.smartlook.com
manager.smartlook.com
.smartlook.com
.smartlook.cloud

The short answer

Smartlook is a session replay tool from Smartlook (Cisco). Suitcast rates its risk under the California Invasion of Privacy Act, CIPA, as critical, 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

Session recording like this is what most California privacy complaints describe as recording a visitor without permission.

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 Smartlook firing before consent

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

Use Smartlook's consent option so recording starts only after the visitor clicks accept in your banner, and mask form fields.
Remove it if you no longer review recordings.

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 web-sdk.smartlook.com is matched to Smartlook and recorded with the millisecond it fired.
Clicks reject and watches again. When the banner has a reject button, the scan presses it; if Smartlook keeps firing, the report says so.

Scanner rules and limits are on the methodology page.

Same type

Other session replay tools the scanner checks

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

Questions owners ask

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

Is having Smartlook 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 Smartlook only after consent, or removing it when it is not used, is what removes the pattern the complaints describe.
How do I know if Smartlook 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 Smartlook 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 Smartlook fire before consent on your site?

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

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