Shopify · Shopify Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Common · 79 of 343 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Shopify places cookies and tracking technologies on your device when you visit its websites or use its services, including for advertising and behavioral analytics purposes.

This analysis describes what Shopify's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The policy states that cookies and tracking technologies are used for preference retention, usage analytics, and advertising targeting, which involves persistent device-level data collection that may extend across sessions and third-party sites.

Interpretive note: The specific consent mechanisms deployed by Shopify for EU and California users are not described in detail in the available policy text, creating uncertainty about whether disclosed practices fully satisfy ePrivacy and CPRA requirements.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Cookies and similar tracking technologies collect behavioral, preference, and device data from visitors and users, and the policy states this data is used to serve relevant advertising, which may involve cross-site tracking through third-party advertising networks.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Export Your Data
    Visit https://privacy.shopify.com to submit a data access request to understand what cookie and tracking data Shopify holds about you, or to request deletion of this data.

How other platforms handle this

Ledger Medium

At Ledger, earning and maintaining our users' trust is a top priority. That's why we are deeply committed not only to protecting your privacy and securing your personal data, but also to being fully transparent about how we handle it.

Garmin Medium

If you are located in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, you have the right to access, correct, or erase your personal data; the right to restrict or object to our processing of your personal data; the right to data portability; and, where our processing is based on your...

Strava Medium

We may display advertisements on our Services and those advertisements may be targeted to your interests based on your personal information. We may share your personal information with advertising partners for interest-based advertising purposes. You may opt out of interest-based advertising by visi...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website and through our Services. Cookies are small data files that we place on your browser or device as you visit our website or use our services. We use cookies for a variety of purposes, including to remember your preferences, understand how you use our services, and to serve you relevant advertising.

— Excerpt from Shopify's Shopify Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Cookie-based tracking implicates the EU ePrivacy Directive and its national implementations, which generally require prior informed consent before non-essential cookies are placed. GDPR Article 6 applies to the underlying personal data processing. In California, CPRA requires disclosure of and opt-out rights for sharing personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, which cookie-based advertising tracking may constitute. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The policy discloses advertising and analytics cookie use but the adequacy of the consent mechanism presented to users, particularly EU users, is not fully described in the policy text, creating potential exposure under ePrivacy and GDPR requirements. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and EEA users require opt-in consent for non-essential cookies under ePrivacy. UK users are subject to PECR, which has similar consent requirements. California users have opt-out rights for cross-context behavioral advertising uses of cookie data. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Merchants using Shopify-provided storefront infrastructure should assess whether their own cookie consent banners cover Shopify's tracking technologies deployed on their storefronts, and should review third-party cookie vendor contracts for GDPR data processing agreement compliance. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit the cookie consent mechanism deployed on Shopify-powered properties to confirm it meets ePrivacy opt-in requirements for EU users and CPRA opt-out requirements for California users, and should maintain a current record of cookies set by Shopify technologies on merchant storefronts.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over deceptive or unfair tracking practices and has published guidance on online behavioral advertising and consent requirements.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Shopify Privacy Policy
Entity
Shopify
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 28, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002227
Document ID
CA-D-00122
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
f007cdd0481f2eadfaff8041501f08fdc3e70dffbfff2515668b24ba05e31645
Analysis generated
April 28, 2026 10:00 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Shopify
Document: Shopify Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-002227
Captured: 2026-04-28 10:00:11 UTC
SHA-256: f007cdd0481f2ead…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/shopify/shopify-privacy-policy/cookies-and-tracking-technologies/
Accessed: June 10, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Shopify's Cookies and Tracking Technologies clause do?

The policy states that cookies and tracking technologies are used for preference retention, usage analytics, and advertising targeting, which involves persistent device-level data collection that may extend across sessions and third-party sites.

How does this clause affect you?

Cookies and similar tracking technologies collect behavioral, preference, and device data from visitors and users, and the policy states this data is used to serve relevant advertising, which may involve cross-site tracking through third-party advertising networks.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 79 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Shopify?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Shopify.