Adobe Analytics

Overview

Adobe Analytics is the enterprise web analytics platform within Adobe Experience Cloud, deployed on websites to collect granular visitor behavior data for business reporting and audience insights. It is one of the most widely deployed enterprise analytics solutions, frequently encountered on large-scale media, retail, financial services, and technology websites. Most implementations use the AppMeasurement.js library or the newer Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK (alloy.js).

What This Script Does

Adobe Analytics loads either AppMeasurement.js (legacy) or alloy.js (Web SDK) and fires server calls — known as "image requests" — to Adobe's data collection servers on every tracked interaction.

Key cookies set:

• s_vi — the Adobe Analytics visitor ID cookie, set as a first-party cookie with a 2-year expiry. This is the primary persistent identifier used to recognize returning visitors across sessions.
• s_fid — a fallback visitor ID cookie used when the s_vi cookie cannot be set (e.g., third-party cookie restrictions). Also has a 2-year expiry.
• s_cc — a session cookie that checks whether cookies are enabled in the browser.
• s_sq — records information about the previous link clicked by the visitor, used for ClickMap and Activity Map reporting. Session-scoped.
• s_ppv — tracks the percentage of a page that was viewed (scroll depth). Session-scoped.
• AMCV_[orgID]@AdobeOrg — the Adobe Experience Cloud visitor ID cookie set by the Visitor ID Service (VisitorAPI.js), used for cross-product visitor identification. 2-year expiry.

Data collection endpoints typically follow the pattern [namespace].sc.omtrdc.net or route through first-party CNAME records (e.g., metrics.example.com). When first-party CNAMEs are configured, the cookies are set under the site's own domain but the data still flows to Adobe's infrastructure.

Data collected includes: page URL, page title, referrer, screen resolution, browser and OS metadata, custom variables (eVars, props, events), product interaction data, and timestamps. Server-side processing applies visitor segmentation, pathing analysis, and attribution modeling within Adobe's reporting suite.

When integrated with Adobe Audience Manager, visitor data can be forwarded for audience creation and ad targeting via server-side forwarding, expanding the scope of data use beyond analytics.

Consent & Compliance

Adobe Analytics falls in the analytics category but has significant overlap with marketing when server-side forwarding to Audience Manager or data sharing with other Adobe products is enabled.

Under the GDPR, Adobe Analytics collects personal data in the form of pseudonymous visitor IDs, IP addresses (which Adobe can truncate via configuration), and detailed behavioral profiles. Consent is the typical lawful basis. While some organizations attempt to argue legitimate interest for analytics, the 2-year cookie duration, depth of behavioral profiling, and potential for data sharing with Adobe's marketing products make this argument difficult to sustain under regulatory scrutiny.

The ePrivacy Directive requires consent for the non-essential cookies Adobe Analytics sets. The s_vi cookie (2-year visitor identification) is clearly not strictly necessary for the website to function as requested by the user.

Under CCPA/CPRA, the detailed behavioral profiles and visitor IDs collected constitute personal information. If analytics data feeds into advertising or personalization systems, it may trigger "sale" or "sharing" provisions requiring opt-out rights.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. Adobe Analytics sets persistent visitor identification cookies, collects detailed behavioral data, and frequently integrates with marketing-oriented Adobe products. It is not essential for website functionality and requires consent before loading under EU privacy regulations.