Do Yandex Metrica and Yandex Ads require consent before loading?

Yes. Both require explicit prior consent. Yandex Metrica sets persistent visitor identifiers and records full session replays capturing mouse movements and clicks. Yandex Ads sets cross-site advertising cookies for retargeting. Data is transferred to servers in Russia, where no EU adequacy decision applies, raising serious GDPR Chapter V concerns.

What cookies and data does Yandex collect?

Yandex Metrica sets _ym_uid (1-year visitor ID), _ym_d (first-visit date), and yandexuid (1-year cross-site Yandex ID). The advertising network sets additional targeting cookies on yandex.ru. Session recordings capture mouse movements, clicks, scrolls, and form interactions transmitted to Yandex servers in Russia.

How does ConsentStack handle Yandex scripts?

ConsentStack classifies Yandex as analytics and marketing, blocking all Yandex scripts until the visitor grants consent for both categories. Given the serious data transfer risks to Russia, ConsentStack surfaces Yandex in your vendor audit so you can assess whether the transfer risk is acceptable for your compliance posture.

What tracker domains does Yandex use?

ConsentStack has catalogued tracker domains for Yandex including yandex.ru, yastatic.net and webvisor.org, among 5 in total. These are the network destinations Yandex's scripts contact, which a consent platform blocks until a visitor agrees.

What cookies does Yandex set?

Yandex sets cookies such as _ym_uid and _ym_d. ConsentStack identifies these and classifies them so they can be blocked or allowed based on the visitor's consent choice.

Yandex (yandex.ru) - Analytics, Retargeting & Cross-Border Privacy

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Overview

Yandex is Russia's dominant search engine and web services conglomerate, operating one of the most widely used analytics and advertising platforms in Russian-speaking markets. Its two primary web tools are Yandex.Metrica — a full-featured analytics suite comparable to Google Analytics but with session recording and heatmap capabilities built in — and the Yandex Advertising Network (YAN) pixel for retargeting across Yandex properties including search, news, and Maps. Both products can appear on non-Russian websites seeking to reach Eastern European audiences.

What This Script Does

Yandex.Metrica Analytics

Tracks page views, unique visitors, sessions, bounce rate, and time on site via the Metrica counter
Records full session replays capturing mouse movements, clicks, scrolls, and keyboard interactions (including form field inputs unless masked)
Generates click heatmaps, scroll maps, and link click maps for UX analysis
Tracks e-commerce events (product views, add-to-cart, purchases) if e-commerce tracking is configured
Fires form interaction events (field focus, abandonment, completion)
Script file: mc.yandex.ru/metrika/tag.js or mc.yandex.com/metrika/tag.js

Cookies Set by Yandex.Metrica

_ym_uid — persistent unique visitor identifier, first-party, 1 year; used to recognize returning visitors
_ym_d — first visit date, first-party, 1 year
_ym_isad — ad blocker detection flag, session
_ym_visorc — session recording status flag, session
yandexuid — Yandex-wide cross-site identifier, third-party (.yandex.ru), 1 year; links Metrica data to Yandex's broader profile

Yandex Advertising Network (Retargeting Pixel)

Sets cross-site cookies via yandex.ru and yandex.com domains to build retargeting audiences
Links site visitor activity to Yandex's advertising profile for targeting ads on Yandex Search, Zen, and partner sites
Participates in real-time bidding (RTB) auctions using audience segments built from site visits

Data Transmission

All analytics and behavioral data is transmitted to Yandex servers hosted in Russia (and increasingly the Netherlands post-restructuring)
IP addresses, user agents, referrers, and full interaction replays are transmitted
International data transfer considerations apply under GDPR Chapter V — Yandex is a Russian entity and data may be accessible to Russian authorities

Consent & Compliance

Consent category: Analytics / Marketing

Yandex.Metrica and YAN require explicit prior consent under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive. Key considerations:

Session recordings capture detailed behavioral data that may include personal information, requiring consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a)
Persistent identifiers (_ym_uid, yandexuid) require ePrivacy consent
Cross-site advertising cookies (YAN) require consent for IAB TCF Purposes 1, 3, 4, and 7
Data transfers to Russia lack an EU adequacy decision; no EU-US DPF equivalent applies. Transfer must rely on SCCs with a careful transfer impact assessment given Russian data localization laws
The Dutch DPA (AP) and other EU supervisory authorities have scrutinized Russian-hosted analytics tools post-2022

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. Yandex scripts perform extensive behavioral tracking including session recordings, persistent cross-site identification, and advertising retargeting. Data is transferred to servers in Russia, raising serious GDPR Chapter V compliance concerns that go beyond standard analytics tools.

Is Yandex GDPR compliant?

Yandex typically loads marketing and analytics 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 Yandex 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 Yandex, not on Yandex itself.

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Consent Categories

Analytics Marketing

Also Known As

yandex metricayandex GDPRyandex cookiesyandex retargeting pixelyandex analytics privacyyandex cross-border data transfer

Industries

Computers Electronics and Technology

Tracked Domains (5)

Yandex's trackers are occasionally seen, seen on about 2% of the sites ConsentStack has scanned. Scan your own site to see which of these are firing before consent.

yandex.ruMarketing

yandex.ru is a marketing domain operated by Yandex, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on about 2% of scanned sites.

yastatic.netMarketing

yastatic.net is a marketing domain operated by Yandex, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

webvisor.orgAnalytics

webvisor.org is an analytics domain operated by Yandex, used to measure visits, sessions, and on-site behavior. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

yandex.netEssential

yandex.net is an essential domain operated by Yandex, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

adfox.ruMarketing

adfox.ru is a marketing domain operated by Yandex, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.