You want to embed the Facebook Pixel in your website to optimise your marketing? No problem – at least at first glance. Because here, too, data protection has its fingers in the pie. According to the motto “Big Brother is watching you”. The non-privacy-compliant integration of the Facebook Pixel can be costly.
But don’t panic! In this blog article, we explain how you can integrate the popular marketing tool into your WordPress website quickly and easily in compliance with the GDPR – of course for free!😉
What is the Facebook Pixel?
The Facebook Pixel is now part of the standard repertoire of marketers who hang around on Facebook. The Facebook Pixel has proven to be an excellent tracking method through which you can optimise your Facebook Ads.
The individual ID of each Facebook pixel ensures that it can be assigned to the corresponding advertising account, so that data is only transmitted to this account.
The use of the Facebook pixel is not only suitable for tracking the behaviour of visitors on your own website, but is also suitable for retargeting measures and addressing specific target groups.
How does the Facebook Pixel work?
You can think of the Facebook Pixel as JavaScript code that you can integrate into your website. In this way, you can link your advertising account to your website and accurately record actions on your website. This code is inserted in the HTML of your website – more precisely in the header area. By implementing the code, a connection with Facebook or Instgram is automatically established.
Is the Facebook Pixel compliant with the GDPR?
What about Facebook Pixel and data protection? The Facebook Pixel is a service of the US technology company Meta Platforms, Inc.
And this is where it gets problematic. Why? Since the termination of the data protection agreement between the USA and the EU (Privacy Shield) by the ECJ in June 2020, the USA has been considered an unsafe third country with an inadequate level of data protection. This was also the reason for the overturning of the agreement.
A second fundamental problem is the collection and transfer of personal data – even without the transfer to the USA. Wherever such data is involved, data protectionists are not to be trifled with. As a rule, the collection, storage and processing of personal data may only take place on the basis of opt-in consent.
Essential services (and cookies) are an exception. Roughly speaking, a service or cookie is considered essential if it is required for the basic functionality of the website. However, your website would technically work just fine without the Facebook Pixel. Conversely, this means that the Facebook Pixel is not essential and therefore you need the opt-in consent of your website visitors to use it.
Requirements for the GDPR-compliant integration of Facebook Pixel in WordPress
Let’s take a closer look at what exactly you can do to integrate the Facebook Pixel into your WordPress website in the most GDPR-compliant way possible.
✅ Opt-in consent
You already know that you need opt-in consent to use Facebook Pixel. However, the correct technical implementation often brings website operators to their limits. This is where the Consent Management WordPress plugin Real Cookie Banner comes into play.
The WordPress plugin helps you to block Facebook Pixel until you have the active consent of your visitor. This is done in the cookie banner created.
We’ll show you exactly how in the instructions below.
🤝 Order processing contract
In addition to opt-in consent, we also advise you to conclude a processing contract for the use of Facebook Pixel. A contract processing agreement is always required if you commission an external company to process personal data. In this case, the processor would be Facebook Inc. or Meta Platforms Inc. or its EU subsidiary.
The basis for the order processing contract is GDPR Art. 28.
📝 Privacy policy
Last but not least, you have to list Facebook Pixel in your privacy policy. This means that you have to explain why you use Facebook Pixel, which data is collected, which provider is behind the service, etc.
Instructions: Set up Facebook Pixel
Before you can integrate the Facebook Pixel into your website, you first have to set it up. Don’t panic, it’s super easy!
- Öffne den Events Manager deines Facebook Accounts.
- Click on the sub-item Pixel.
- Name the pixel.
- Enter the URL of your website to make it easier to set up.
- Click on Create.
Et voilà, there’s a new pixel in this world 👾
Instructions: Integrate Facebook Pixel GDPR-compliant in WordPress
Let’s finally get to the long-awaited core: the GDPR-compliant integration of the Facebook pixel into your WordPress website 😉
- Open your WordPress backend.
- Go to Plugins > Add New in the menu on the left. Search for “Real Cookie Banner”.
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Click on Cookies in the menu on the left. You are now in the Real Cookie Banner Dashboard.
- Click on the Services (Cookies) > Add Service.
- Search for Facebook Pixel (in the PRO version) in the templates or create an individual service and fill in the technical and legal details yourself.
- Click on the template (in the PRO version). Here, Real Cookie Banner has already diligently filled in everything for you, so you save yourself a lot of research work. The only thing you have to do is enter your Facebook Pixel ID in the corresponding field. You can find the ID in the Events Manager of your Facebook account.
- Save the service.
- Done! The Facebook pixel is now only played after your visitor’s opt-in consent – just as a data protectionist would wish 😉