Stripe Connect

Overview

Stripe Connect extends Stripe's payment infrastructure to support multi-party transactions, enabling marketplaces, platforms, and SaaS businesses to facilitate payments between buyers and sellers. The platform handles complex payment routing — splitting funds between multiple recipients, managing onboarding of connected accounts, and handling compliance requirements like KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. Stripe Connect scripts appear on websites that operate as platforms processing payments on behalf of third parties.

What This Script Does

Stripe Connect integrates through Stripe.js (js.stripe.com/v3/) and additional Connect-specific components for account onboarding and payment management.

• Scripts loaded: js.stripe.com/v3/ — the core Stripe.js library that handles payment tokenization, Connect account onboarding flows, and Express dashboard embeds
• Connect Onboarding: The Connect Onboarding flow opens a Stripe-hosted page (or embedded component) where connected accounts provide identity documents, banking details, and business information for KYC verification
• Payment flow: When a buyer makes a purchase, Stripe.js tokenizes payment details and routes funds according to the platform's configured split — the platform's share, the connected account's share, and Stripe's fees
• Cookies set:
  • __stripe_mid — First-party cookie (1-year expiry). Machine identifier for fraud detection across the platform's payment flows.
  • __stripe_sid — First-party cookie (30-minute expiry). Session identifier correlating payment interactions within a single visit.
• Data transmitted: Payment method details (tokenized), connected account identifiers, transaction amounts, and platform metadata are sent to Stripe's servers. OAuth tokens are exchanged during account connection flows.
• No tracking: Stripe Connect does not perform advertising or behavioral tracking. All data collection serves payment processing and fraud prevention.

Consent & Compliance

Stripe Connect falls under the essential consent category.

Under GDPR and ePrivacy, Stripe Connect is a strictly necessary payment processing service. The cookies set (__stripe_mid, __stripe_sid) serve fraud prevention and payment security purposes, which are essential for completing transactions explicitly requested by the user. The ePrivacy Directive exempts cookies that are strictly necessary for a service the user has requested. GDPR legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) — processing necessary for contract performance.

Under CCPA/CPRA, payment and identity data processed through Connect is necessary for completing the requested transaction and onboarding flow. Stripe acts as a service provider processing data on behalf of the platform. This does not constitute a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information.

Stripe is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and offers data processing agreements compliant with GDPR requirements.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

No. Stripe Connect is essential payment infrastructure that enables multi-party transactions. Blocking it would prevent sellers from receiving payments and buyers from completing purchases on marketplace platforms. The cookies set serve fraud prevention, not tracking, and are strictly necessary for the payment service.