What is the SM cookie?it needs consent first
Set by Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corporation). Expires after Session.
Block it until the visitor opts in
Under the ePrivacy Directive (Art. 5(3)) and GDPR, SM may only be set after the visitor accepts analytics cookies.
Purpose
Used to synchronise the MUID across Microsoft domains.
Cookie details
- Cookie name
SM- Service
- Microsoft Clarity
- Provider
- Microsoft Corporation
- Category
- Analytics
- Duration
- Session
- Consent
- Required — opt-in
GDPR requirements
Analytics cookies help website owners understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. Consent is required under GDPR.
For SM to be compliant, it must be:
- Not set on the first visit — not even for a fraction of a second
- A consent banner is shown, and the visitor actively accepts analytics cookies
- Stays blocked if the visitor rejects or ignores the banner
- Listed in your cookie policy with its name, purpose and retention period
- Removed or invalidated when the visitor withdraws consent
How to handle it
- 1Block it by default
Configure your consent platform (CMP) or tag manager so Microsoft Clarity doesn't load until the visitor accepts analytics cookies.
- 2Map it to a consent category
Put it under “Analytics” in your CMP configuration.
- 3List it in your cookie policy
Name, purpose, provider (Microsoft Corporation) and expiry (Session).
- 4Sign a DPA
Have a Data Processing Agreement with Microsoft Corporation covering the data this cookie collects.
- 5Verify it works
In a private window, reject cookies and confirm
SMis not set.
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