Overview
Tealium is an enterprise tag management system and first-party data platform used by large organizations to orchestrate marketing technology stacks. Tealium iQ is the tag container layer — it loads a single JavaScript payload that conditionally fires hundreds of downstream marketing, analytics, and functional tags based on consent signals and business rules. Tealium AudienceStream is the real-time customer data platform (CDP) component that ingests visitor event streams and builds persistent customer profiles enriched with behavioral attributes.
What This Script Does
Tealium iQ Tag Container
Tealium iQ loads from tags.tiqcdn.com as the primary script payload, typically injected via a synchronous or asynchronous snippet in the <head>. The container script fetches the current tag configuration profile and evaluates load rules to determine which downstream tags fire. Tag firing is gated by consent state — Tealium integrates with consent management platforms (including its own Tealium Consent Manager) to suppress non-consented tags.
- Sets the
utag_mainfirst-party cookie (session and visitor ID persistence, 1-year expiry) and theutag_sessession cookie - The
utag.jsloader and profile-specificutag.{profile}.jsfiles are served fromtags.tiqcdn.com - Data layer variables are read from
utag_dataon each page and passed to active tags - Supports server-side tag execution via Tealium EventStream to reduce client-side script load
Tealium AudienceStream
AudienceStream receives event streams from iQ and builds real-time visitor profiles:
- Ingests page view events, conversion events, and custom interactions
- Builds audience segments based on behavioral attributes (page counts, product views, purchase history)
- Enriches profiles with third-party data sources via connectors
- Activates audiences to downstream ad platforms, email providers, and CRMs in real time
- Profile data is stored in Tealium's cloud infrastructure and associated with the visitor ID in
utag_main
Consent & Compliance
- Category: Conditional — iQ itself is functional infrastructure; downstream tags require consent based on their own categories (analytics, marketing, functional)
- GDPR: Tealium iQ is a data processor. Organizations using Tealium must configure load rules so that marketing and analytics tags are suppressed until consent is granted. AudienceStream profile building requires consent where it involves behavioral tracking.
- IAB TCF: Tealium supports IAB TCF 2.2 integration. Consent strings can be evaluated within load rules to conditionally fire IAB-registered vendor tags.
- Data transfers: Tealium is a US company. It participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and offers EU-hosted infrastructure for customers with data residency requirements.
- DPA: Tealium provides a Data Processing Agreement covering both iQ and AudienceStream services.
Should You Block This Without Consent?
Conditional. Tealium iQ itself is neutral infrastructure — whether it requires consent depends entirely on what tags it fires. A Tealium container that only fires analytics tags needs analytics consent; one that fires advertising pixels needs marketing consent. AudienceStream profile building is analytics/marketing in nature and requires consent. Configure Tealium's consent integration to gate tag firing on visitor consent choices before deploying.
Is Tealium GDPR compliant?
Tealium typically loads marketing, analytics and functional 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 Tealium 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 Tealium, not on Tealium itself.
Consent Categories
Also Known As
Industries
Tracked Domains (2)
Tealium's trackers are occasionally seen, seen on about 1% of the sites ConsentStack has scanned. Scan your own site to see which of these are firing before consent.
tiqcdn.comMarketingtiqcdn.com is a marketing domain operated by Tealium, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on about 1% of scanned sites.
tealiumiq.comMarketingtealiumiq.com is a marketing domain operated by Tealium, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.
Cookies Tealium Sets (1)
utag_mainTealium tag-manager visitor session and properties.
Frequently Asked Questions
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