A web beacon (also known as a pixel tag or clear GIF) is a graphic image which is used to better understand the browsing patterns of visitors to the page.<br> <br>When the HTML code for the web beacon points to a site to retrieve the pixel image, information can be passed along, such as the IP address of the computer that requested the image, the time the web beacon was viewed and for how long, the type of browser that was used, and previously set cookie values.