What is the _cb_svref cookie?
_cb_svref is an analytics cookie used by Chartbeat, a real-time web traffic analytics provider commonly used by publishers and media sites to measure reader engagement (time on page, scroll depth, live traffic).
The cookie usually appears when a site has the Chartbeat tracking script installed (directly or via a tag manager), on the first page load or at the start of a new visit session.
What data it stores
The cookie stores the session's referrer source — the page or channel the visitor arrived from — which Chartbeat uses to correctly attribute traffic in its analytics reports.
The exact value format is not publicly documented by Chartbeat; the collected data is sent to Chartbeat's domains for processing and statistical aggregation.
What it is used for
For Chartbeat, the cookie helps build real-time reports on traffic sources and reader behavior (live dashboards, engagement analysis).
For the website owner, this data provides insight into which channels (social media, search engines, other sites) bring visitors and how they behave once on the page.
Does it require consent?
In CookieFix's classification, _cb_svref falls under the statistics (analytics) category. Under the ePrivacy Directive (as transposed locally, e.g. Law 506/2004 in Romania) and GDPR, analytics cookies are not strictly necessary for the site to function, so they require the visitor's prior consent.
- The cookie must be listed in the site's cookie policy.
- The Chartbeat script should not load before the visitor grants consent for the „statistics” category.
- The site owner must be able to demonstrate, if requested by a data protection authority, that valid consent was obtained.
How to block or delete _cb_svref
A visitor can manually delete or block this cookie from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari — per-site cookie management), or use tracking-blocking extensions.
For site owners, the recommended approach is a consent management platform (CMP) that automatically blocks the Chartbeat script until the visitor consents to the „statistics” category — for example, CookieFix can do this automatically, blocking the script at the page level before consent is given.
Frequently asked questions
It's an analytics cookie set by Chartbeat to store the referrer source of the current visit session, used in traffic analytics reports.
It typically lasts around 30 minutes, matching a single visit session.
Yes, as an analytics/statistics cookie it requires the visitor's prior consent under the ePrivacy rules and GDPR.
You can use a consent management platform that blocks the Chartbeat script until the visitor consents, or the visitor can delete it manually from browser settings.