What is an Amazon Tracking Pixel?

If you are new to the web surfing world, you may wonder if an Amazon tracking pixel exists. Many of the best websites and online shopping platforms, after all, use tracking pixels which could impact consumer privacy in addition to slowing down the browsing experience. So what are tracking pixels, what does Amazon have to do with them, and are these pixels bad? Keep reading to find out.

For more consumer privacy information, check out third-party tracking pixels, such as Facebook tracking pixels used in emails. You can also read about Google ads tracking.

What is Amazon Pixel Tracking?

Before learning about Amazon’s specific pixel tracking, take some time to understand the basic tenants of the practice. A tracking pixel is also called a marketing pixel. This 1×1 pixel graphic is used to track user behavior, site conversions, web traffic, and a whole ton of other metrics across the entire browsing experience. They are similar to cookies, in a way, but place a much larger emphasis on tracking, advertising, and marketing.

These pixels are typically hidden and embedded in just about everything online, from banner ads to emails and beyond. An Amazon tracking pixel is just one of these pixels by web retailer Amazon to track user experience across their entire platform and where they go after leaving the platform.

Are Tracking Pixels Bad?

These pixels are not necessarily bad, as it depends on intent and user preferences. However, the whole point of these pixels is to, well, track user behavior. This does not exactly jive with privacy, but most Internet users are fine with the trade-off as long as their targeted ads are relevant. If multiple sites use tracking pixels and your browser is filled to the brim with the little buggers, you could end up with some slowdown when surfing. It is highly unlikely that these pixels are malicious, as it would not be in the interest of the company to do so, though hackers could have other ideas.

How to Delete Pixels for Tracking

Do you want to delete any and all tracking pixels from your browsing experience, even those from retail giant Amazon? Here is how to get that done:

• Clear the cache – Just like with cookies, you can delete these tiny pixels by clearing your browser’s cache. Head to the upper right corner of your preferred browser and look for system settings or privacy settings.
• Use dedicated software – There are many items of dedicated software out there purpose-built to eradicate tracking pixels.