Elfsight

Overview

Elfsight is a widget platform that offers a library of embeddable website components — social media feeds, review carousels, contact forms, countdown timers, pricing tables, FAQ accordions, and more. Site operators select and configure widgets through Elfsight's dashboard, then embed them via a JavaScript snippet. Widget content is delivered from Elfsight's servers, and some widget types load third-party content from social platforms.

What This Script Does

Elfsight's embed scripts load from static.elfsight.com and apps.elfsight.com:

• Widget rendering: Loads the configured widget type and renders it on the page. Each widget makes API requests to Elfsight's servers to fetch configuration and content.
• Social media content: Social feed widgets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok) load content from those platforms' APIs or CDNs, potentially triggering third-party cookie setting by those social platforms.
• Review widgets: Pull review data from Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, or other review platforms for display.
• Interaction tracking: Elfsight may collect widget interaction metrics (views, clicks, form submissions) for its own analytics dashboard. This data is transmitted to Elfsight's servers.
• Cookies: Elfsight itself may set functional cookies for widget state. However, social media content loaded through widgets can trigger additional tracking cookies from those platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.).
• Form widgets: Contact form and subscription form widgets collect visitor-submitted data and route it via Elfsight's infrastructure.

Consent & Compliance

Elfsight operates in a mixed functional/marketing consent category. Basic widgets (FAQ, pricing tables, countdown timers) are functional, while social media feed widgets and review aggregators introduce third-party marketing tracking.

Under GDPR and ePrivacy, the social media content loaded through Elfsight widgets can trigger third-party cookies from Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. These third-party cookies require consent. The interaction tracking sent to Elfsight's servers also constitutes non-essential data processing. Non-social widgets that operate without third-party content have fewer consent implications.

Under CCPA/CPRA, the social platform cookies and interaction data collected through widgets constitute personal information processing.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Conditional. Non-social widgets (FAQ, pricing tables, countdown timers) serve functional purposes and can load without consent if they set no tracking cookies. Social media feed widgets should be blocked until marketing consent is granted, as they load third-party social platform resources that set tracking cookies. Evaluate each widget type individually based on whether it introduces third-party tracking.