---
title: "Cookies used by EmbedSocial widgets"
description: "EmbedSocial widgets set no cookies of their own. See which third-party cookies can appear on your site, when, and what to do about consent."
---

EmbedSocial widgets do not set any cookies of their own. When you embed a widget on your website, no EmbedSocial cookies are created for your visitors.

Some cookies can appear, but only from third-party services, and only when you use certain features or sources in your widget. This article explains when that happens and lists the cookies that can be set, so your legal or privacy team can include them in your cookie policy.

## When cookies can appear

Third-party cookies are only set in these situations:

-   **Google Analytics is connected to your widget.** If you use the Google Analytics integration, Google's tracking script sets its standard analytics cookies. If you don't connect Google Analytics, these cookies are not set.

-   **Your widget includes YouTube or Vimeo videos.** The YouTube and Vimeo players are only loaded when your widget actually contains a YouTube or Vimeo source. Some of their cookies are set when the player loads, others only when a visitor plays a video.

-   **A visitor plays a TikTok video.** TikTok videos are shown through TikTok's own embedded player, which sets cookies when the video is played.

-   **A visitor plays a Facebook Reel.** Facebook Reels are shown through Facebook's own embedded player, which sets cookies when the Reel is played.

These cookies belong to Google, YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Facebook and their security providers (Cloudflare and Akamai). EmbedSocial doesn't create, read or control them. How they work is described in each provider's own cookie policy.

**Good to know:** if you see EmbedSocial cookies while testing your widget, check whether you're logged in to your EmbedSocial account in the same browser. Cookies from the EmbedSocial admin app can show up during testing, but your website visitors won't get them. Testing in a private or incognito window gives you the real visitor experience.

## Full list of cookies

These are the cookies that can be set through an EmbedSocial widget, grouped by provider. All of them are third-party cookies, except the Google Analytics cookies.

| Cookie | Provider | When it's set | Category | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `_ga` | Google | Google Analytics connected to the widget | Analytics | 2 years | Distinguishes unique visitors with a randomly generated ID |
| `_ga_<ID>` | Google | Google Analytics connected to the widget | Analytics | 2 years | Stores a unique ID used to keep track of sessions |
| `YSC` | YouTube | Widget contains a YouTube source | Marketing | Session | Tracks views of embedded YouTube videos |
| `VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA` | YouTube | Widget contains a YouTube source | Functional | 6 months | Stores the visitor's cookie consent choices for YouTube |
| `VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE` | YouTube | Widget contains a YouTube source | Marketing | 6 months | Remembers video preferences and interactions |
| `__Secure-ROLLOUT_TOKEN` | YouTube | Widget contains a YouTube source | Functional | 6 months | Used by YouTube to manage feature rollouts in the player |
| `NID` | Google | A YouTube video is played | Marketing | 6 months after last use | Stores preferences such as language |
| `_cfuvid` | Cloudflare (for Vimeo) | Widget contains a Vimeo source | Necessary | Session | Applies rate limiting; no personal data |
| `__cf_bm` | Cloudflare (for Vimeo) | Widget contains a Vimeo source | Necessary | 30 minutes of inactivity | Bot protection |
| `player_clearance` | Vimeo | A Vimeo video is played | Necessary | 7 days | Bot protection |
| `vuid` | Vimeo | Widget contains a Vimeo source | Analytics | 2 years | Collects statistics on how the Vimeo player is used |
| `ak_bmsc` | Akamai (for TikTok) | A TikTok video is played | Necessary | 2 hours | Bot protection |
| `ttwid` | TikTok | A TikTok video is played | Necessary | 1 year | Identifies the session with TikTok's embedded player |
| `msToken` | TikTok | A TikTok video is played | Marketing | 10 days | Verifies requests to TikTok and may be used for analytics |
| `tt_csrf_token` | TikTok | A TikTok video is played | Necessary | Session | Protects against cross-site request forgery |
| `tt_chain_token` | TikTok | A TikTok video is played | Necessary | Session | Used by TikTok to track requests across its services |
| `datr` | Facebook | A Facebook Reel is played | Necessary | 400 days | Identifies the browser for security and fraud prevention |
| `sb` | Facebook | A Facebook Reel is played | Marketing | 400 days | Identifies the browser |
| `ps_l` | Facebook | A Facebook Reel is played | Marketing | 400 days | Stores technical settings for how Facebook cookies work in the browser |
| `ps_n` | Facebook | A Facebook Reel is played | Marketing | 400 days | Stores technical settings for how Facebook cookies work in the browser |
| `wd` | Facebook | A Facebook Reel is played | Performance | 7 days | Stores the screen size to display the Reel correctly |

## Cookie consent and GDPR

EmbedSocial widgets don't connect to your website's cookie banner. The widget works the same whether a visitor accepts or declines optional cookies, so the third-party cookies above can still be set depending on your widget's sources and settings.

Some of these providers, especially YouTube, also store data in the visitor's browser storage (local storage) rather than in cookies. Privacy rules such as the ePrivacy Directive treat this storage the same way as cookies.

### What you can do

If your website must collect consent before marketing or analytics cookies are set, you have these options:

-   **Load the widget only after consent.** Most consent management platforms (for example Cookiebot, OneTrust or CookieYes) can block the EmbedSocial embed script until the visitor accepts marketing cookies.

-   **Choose your sources.** A widget without YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok or Facebook Reel sources does not set any of the video cookies listed above.

-   **Connect Google Analytics only if you have consent for it.** Without the integration, the `_ga` cookies are not set.

-   **List these cookies in your cookie policy.** Include the ones that match the sources and features you use.

**Last reviewed: October 27th, 2026.**

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