Does Drift require user consent before loading?

Yes. Drift combines a live chat widget with persistent visitor tracking and sales automation. The driftt_aid and driftt_eid cookies identify visitors across sessions for marketing purposes, which requires explicit consent under GDPR and ePrivacy. Block by default and load only after the visitor grants functional or marketing consent.

What cookies and data does Drift set on visitors' browsers?

Drift sets driftt_aid (2-year anonymous visitor ID), driftt_eid (email-linked ID for contact merging), and driftt_sid (session ID). It also stores drift_campaign in localStorage. The script tracks full browsing paths, UTM parameters, and firmographic data via IP lookup, streaming events to events.drift.com.

How does ConsentStack handle the Drift script?

ConsentStack categorizes Drift as functional and marketing. It blocks the Drift script on page load and injects it only after the visitor consents to functional or marketing cookies. This prevents the driftt_aid tracking cookie from being set before consent, keeping your site compliant with GDPR and ePrivacy requirements.

What tracker domains does Drift use?

ConsentStack has catalogued tracker domains for Drift including js.driftt.com and event.api.drift.com. These are the network destinations Drift's scripts contact, which a consent platform blocks until a visitor agrees.

Drift (js.driftt.com) - Conversational Chat Widget & Consent Profile

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Overview

Drift is a conversational marketing and sales platform founded in 2015 that pioneered the "conversational marketing" category. It combines AI-powered chatbots, live chat, and automated playbooks to engage website visitors in real time and route qualified leads to sales representatives. Drift is widely deployed on B2B SaaS, technology, and professional services websites. Acquired by Salesloft in 2023, Drift's technology powers real-time pipeline generation by identifying and personalising the website experience for target accounts.

What This Script Does

The Drift script loads from js.driftt.com (Drift's primary JavaScript CDN) and renders a persistent chat bubble in the lower corner of every page. On activation, it establishes a WebSocket connection to Drift's messaging infrastructure for real-time chat routing.

Cookies and identifiers set:

driftt_aid — Anonymous visitor identifier; first-party cookie set on the host domain via document.cookie; expiry 2 years. Used to recognise returning visitors and link sessions to known contact records.
driftt_sid — Session identifier scoped to the current browsing session; expires at session end.
driftt_eid — Email-linked identifier set when a visitor is identified through form submission or email click; used to merge anonymous and known contact profiles; expiry up to 2 years.
Local storage key drift_campaign — Stores active campaign assignment to ensure consistent chatbot playbook delivery across pages.

Script filenames and CDN: api.js loaded from js.driftt.com; chat assets from widget.drift.com; API calls to customer.io/drift for CRM sync and events.drift.com for behavioural event streaming.

Per-session data collected:

Full browsing path on the host site (all pages visited, time on each)
Referral source and UTM parameters
Company identity via IP-based firmographic lookup (Clearbit/6sense enrichment)
Account-based marketing segment assignment (target account matching)
Chat transcript and conversation data
Form field values when visitor is identified
CRM sync events to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo

Behavioural triggers: Drift playbooks fire based on rules including visit count, page URL, time on page, scroll depth, referral campaign, and target account membership — all processed client-side using the persistent driftt_aid cookie.

Consent & Compliance

Drift scripts are classified under functional and marketing categories. The live chat widget serves a functional communication purpose, but Drift's default configuration includes visitor identification, cross-session tracking, and account-based marketing automation — all of which are marketing activities. Under GDPR Article 6, the visitor identification cookies (driftt_aid, driftt_eid) and behavioural tracking require explicit prior consent, as they process personal data for marketing purposes that go beyond the strictly necessary threshold. IAB TCF Purpose 1 (Store/access device) and Purpose 8 (Measure content performance) are implicated by Drift's default operation. Under ePrivacy, the persistent driftt_aid cookie requires opt-in. Under CCPA/CPRA, the collection of browsing behaviour, firmographic enrichment, and CRM sync constitutes processing of personal information for marketing that must be disclosed and subject to opt-out rights.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Conditional. Drift combines legitimate functional live chat with marketing-oriented visitor identification and sales automation. If used purely for reactive customer support (chat widget with no persistent tracking cookies), it could be classified as functional. However, Drift's default configuration enables visitor tracking, account-based targeting, and CRM integration from the first page load — all of which require consent. Block by default; load only after the visitor grants functional or marketing consent.

Is Drift GDPR compliant?

Drift typically loads functional and marketing trackers, which are not strictly necessary for your site to work. Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, non-essential cookies and trackers must stay blocked until a visitor gives clear opt-in consent. So Drift can be fully GDPR compliant, but only if your site holds its scripts until consent is granted and lets visitors decline just as easily. Compliance depends on how your site loads Drift, not on Drift itself.

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