Metabase

Overview

Metabase is an open-source business intelligence and analytics tool that lets organizations query databases, build dashboards, and share data visualizations. When Metabase's scripts appear on third-party sites, they're powering embedded analytics — interactive dashboards and charts rendered within another application using Metabase's embedding feature.

This is distinct from most analytics vendors because Metabase itself is the visualization tool, not a data collection mechanism. The embedded dashboards display data the organization already has, rather than collecting new data from website visitors.

What This Script Does

Metabase's embedded analytics scripts render data visualizations:

• Dashboard rendering: Loads interactive dashboards within iframes or embedded containers, displaying charts, graphs, tables, and KPI metrics populated from the organization's database
• Query execution: Sends parameterized queries to the connected Metabase instance to retrieve data for visualization, with results rendered in the browser
• Interactive filtering: Enables users to apply filters, drill down into data, and interact with chart elements to explore the underlying data
• Authentication management: Handles user authentication for embedded analytics, often using signed tokens that control which data each user can access
• Session state: Maintains filter selections, dashboard navigation state, and user preferences during the analytics session

Metabase's embedded scripts communicate with the organization's own Metabase instance (self-hosted or cloud), not with a third-party data collection service.

Consent & Compliance

Metabase's embedded analytics have context-dependent compliance needs:

• GDPR: User interaction data with dashboards constitutes personal data when tied to authenticated users. The organization running Metabase controls the data — Metabase is the visualization layer. For self-hosted instances, no data leaves the organization's infrastructure.
• ePrivacy Directive: Session cookies for authenticated dashboard access are likely strictly necessary. The analytics being displayed are the organization's own data, not visitor tracking data.
• CCPA/CPRA: Interaction data with embedded dashboards should be covered by the organization's privacy policy.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Metabase's embedded dashboards serve a functional purpose — displaying data visualizations that users access as part of the application they're using. The scripts render charts and handle queries against the organization's own database rather than collecting behavioral data for marketing. Session management supports authenticated access to data the user is authorized to see. The functional purpose is clear and visitor-serving.

Conditional.