Bird

Overview

Bird (formerly MessageBird, rebranded in 2022) is a cloud communications platform that competes with Twilio and Sinch in the CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) market. Bird's platform spans email delivery (through its acquisition of SparkPost), SMS and WhatsApp messaging, voice calls, and conversational chat. On websites, Bird's presence typically manifests as chat widgets for customer support and email tracking pixels for marketing campaigns.

What This Script Does

Bird's client-side scripts serve two distinct functions with different privacy implications:

Chat Widgets (Functional)

Bird's conversational inbox can embed a chat widget on websites for customer support:

• Renders a chat interface (typically in the bottom-right corner)
• Supports live agent conversations, chatbot flows, and WhatsApp handoff
• Maintains conversation history across page navigations within a session

Chat-related cookies:

• bird_session — session cookie maintaining the active conversation state
• bird_contact — persistent cookie (variable duration) identifying returning visitors to restore previous conversation context

Email Tracking Pixels (Marketing)

When emails sent through Bird's platform (formerly SparkPost) are opened, a tracking pixel fires back to Bird's servers. If the email contains links to the website, Bird may set cookies to:

• _bird_track — links the email recipient to their website browsing session
• Attribute website conversions back to specific email campaigns
• Track which email recipients visited which pages after clicking through

Data Collection

The chat widget collects conversation content, visitor identification (name, email if provided), and basic device information. The email tracking component collects email open events, link click events, and post-click browsing behavior on the website.

Scripts communicate with Bird's API endpoints across several domains including api.bird.com and tracking domains related to the SparkPost infrastructure.

Consent & Compliance

Bird is classified as functional and marketing. This dual classification reflects the distinct nature of its two client-side functions:

• The chat widget serves a functional purpose (customer support) and its session cookies are necessary for the service the user initiates
• The email tracking pixels and cross-channel attribution cookies serve marketing purposes and require consent

Under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, the chat widget's session management cookies may be exempt as functionally necessary when the user initiates a conversation. However, the email tracking pixels and attribution cookies require explicit consent as they serve the website operator's marketing objectives.

Under CCPA/CPRA, the email tracking and cross-channel attribution may constitute "sharing" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, particularly when email engagement data is linked to website browsing behavior. The chat widget's data processing serves a customer service business purpose.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Conditional. Bird's chat widget functionality can operate without consent as it serves a functional customer support purpose. However, the email tracking pixels and campaign attribution cookies should be blocked until the user consents to marketing cookies. If your Bird integration is limited to the chat widget without email tracking, it can be classified as functional only. If email attribution tracking is active, the marketing classification applies and consent is required.