GDPR & Privacy
GDPR & PrivacyGTM & GA
Privacy, Web Analytics, Google and Ketchup
Privacy, Web Analytics, Google and Ketchup

Privacy, Web Analytics, Google and Ketchup

Following a recent period of renewed media debate about the legality of tracking website visitors with Google Analytics, Sara Andersson, founder of Search Integration, interviewed me about my opinions and what the debate should really be about...

The Questions:

  1. Can you give me your thoughts on how Google look at this product and how they handle data internally?
  2. The latest discussions on Google Analytics being illegal and the fact that they propose that people should not use GA on their sites, what is your reaction to this? Are the concerns legitimate at ALL?
  3. The latest EU privacy law is trying to stop people from tracking individual information. What is your thoughts on this in relation to Google Analytics as a product?
  4. Why does Google Analytics get all the focus in the debate about privacy? Are there other services and tools that in your opinion, website owners should be aware of when it comes to tracking sensitive data?
  5. What can website owners do in order to clarify to their visitors how they handle data?
  6. Beyond looking at the concerns of website owners, what should the privacy debate be about?

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GDPR & Privacy
Example of poor journalism on Google Analytics privacy
Google Analytics illegal to use – according to Norwegian Data Inspectorate

Google Analytics illegal to use – according to Norwegian Data Inspectorate

Not really! The eye catching headline form the following article is actually very misleading (I used Google translate). In fact, this is a classic example of poor/misleading journalism on this subject…

As I wrote in my last article on this subject: Google Analytics and the new EU privacy law #3, if you use Google Analytics to collect personal identifiable information (PII) without the explicit consent of each visitor, then yes you are breaking the privacy laws in each of the 27 EU member countries. That is the same with any tracking tool/methodology. It also breaks the Terms of Service of GA.

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GDPR & Privacy
Google Analytics and the EU privacy law #3

Google Analytics and the EU privacy law #3

As you may be aware, last May (2011) a new EU privacy directive came into force – officially known as Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), though often referred to as the “EU cookie law” as it implies that setting website cookies without a visitors consent would be illegal in all 27 EU member countries.

Contrary to what has been reported (and even enacted on some sites), you do not need to seek explicit consent to set an anonymous, benign first party cookie. [...]

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