Tracking pixels: why are you currently receiving emails on the subject?

What is a tracking pixel?

On 14 April 2026, CNIL (French data protection agency) issued a recommendation on tracking pixels in e-mails. A tracking pixel is a small invisible image embedded in an email. It allows the sender to know:

• whether the message has been opened;
• when (day, time);
• on what type of device (computer, tablet, mobile phone, etc.);
• at which approximate location (country, region, city, neighborhood, etc.), since a more or less precise location can be deduced from the recipient's IP address.

This information allows the sender to measure the audience and establish statistics. It can thus evaluate the correct reception of its messages and avoid sending unnecessary emails by removing, for example, from its list of recipients those who no longer open them.

What changes on Public Service?

In its weekly letter, Public Service uses tracking pixels to observe openings and visits, but also to suspend the subscription of people who don't read it/more.

If you subscribed before April 14, 2026:

• you can now object to the use of tracking pixels in communications we send to you. You can exercise this right of objection at the very bottom of the Public Service Letter you just received (and in those that follow) in your inbox, by clicking on the link « Tracking pixel management ». In this case, you will continue to receive our letter but we will no longer be able to analyze the relevance of the mailings concerning you;
• however, if you agree to maintain the current operation, no action on your part is required. And you can return to this choice at any time from the « tracking pixel management » link at the bottom of the Letter.

If you subscribed after April 14, 2026, no tracking pixels are inserted in the Public Service letters you receive. You can activate its implementation, if you wish, from the « tracking pixel management » link, at the very bottom of the Letter you just received in your inbox.