Brandfolder

Overview

Brandfolder, a Smartsheet company, provides cloud-based digital asset management for organizing, sharing, and distributing brand resources. Its embed functionality allows websites to display hosted assets—images, videos, documents, and brand guidelines—directly on web pages without hosting files locally. The embed system acts as both a delivery mechanism and an engagement tracking tool for brand asset usage.

What This Script Does

Brandfolder's embed scripts load from cdn.brandfolder.com or brandfolder.com domains. The scripts render asset viewers, download portals, or media galleries on the host page by fetching asset metadata and file URLs from Brandfolder's API.

When assets are displayed, the scripts make network requests that include the host page URL, visitor's IP address, and browser user agent. Brandfolder may set cookies to track asset view counts, unique viewer sessions, and download events. These engagement metrics feed into the Brandfolder analytics dashboard, giving brand managers visibility into how embedded assets are being consumed.

For public-facing brand portals or press kits, the embed may load multiple assets with individual tracking on each item. Click events on download buttons, video plays, and document views are recorded and attributed to the visitor's session.

The scripts load assets from Brandfolder's CDN, introducing third-party resource requests. Image and video assets may be served from cloud storage endpoints (e.g., AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage) proxied through Brandfolder's infrastructure.

Consent & Compliance

Brandfolder embeds serve a functional purpose—delivering brand assets to the page. The tracking layer that monitors asset views and downloads adds an analytics dimension, but this analytics data flows to the asset owner (the site operator) rather than being used for cross-site advertising.

Under the ePrivacy Directive, the asset delivery function may qualify for the strictly-necessary exemption if the embedded content is integral to the page. However, the engagement tracking cookies that monitor view counts and download behavior go beyond strict necessity and would require consent.

Under GDPR, visitor session tracking and IP address processing for analytics constitutes personal data processing. Legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) is a plausible basis if the tracking is limited to first-party analytics for the asset owner.

CCPA requires disclosure that visitor interaction data is collected by Brandfolder (a Smartsheet company) when viewing embedded assets.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

No.

Brandfolder's primary function is delivering brand assets that are part of the page content. While engagement tracking cookies are present, the core asset delivery serves a functional purpose integral to the page experience. If the tracking component raises concerns, consider configuring Brandfolder's embed to minimize analytics data collection rather than blocking the entire widget.