Noise or Music?
Is There a Future for Web Analytics?
In 2008 as I was walking out of the door at Google, I predicted the next big thing in web analytics was privacy. Of course I was wrong, but it did come eventually in the form of the GDPR. And thank God for that. The wild west surveillance economy was getting out of hand.
3P Cookies v Benign Data v Cookies on Steroids
Google are pushing hard for website owners to adopt Enhanced Conversions – also referred to as “hashed first-party data”. This post outlines the implications of using this, its impact on customer trust, and the alternatives for data collection.
Why I Am Joining the Piwik PRO Advisory Board
In my role, I will be advising the leadership team with their long term strategic development. It comes at a pivotal time in our industry, with so much at stake – user concerns about privacy, adtech regulation, the demise of 3rd-party cookies, and the switch-off of Universal Analytics.
Sayonara Universal Analytics
My first Google Analytics data point was 15th May 2005. In this post I look back at what Universal Analytics did for the industry, including my own career, where GA4 fits in (or not), and what I think the future holds.
11 years ago and a guy called Max Schrems
11 years ago a guy called Max Schrems burst on to the scene. I thought then “At last, online privacy will be taken seriously. The industry I have worked in is at a tipping point”…
European Google Analytics Alternatives – #2 Jigsaws and Device Fingerprints
All collected data contains potential device identifiers – and by extension, user identifiers. The visitor’s IP address is an obvious one. However, there are many others that may seem benign at first, but when enough of them are stitched together, can be used like a jigsaw to build up a picture of the visitor.
European Google Analytics Alternatives – #1 Private Clouds
Like most data professionals in the EU, I have been looking at alternatives to Google Analytics that have “better” privacy compliance. In this post I am defining an alternative to Google Analytics as being an EU based analytics company.
What’s Wrong With The NOYB Approach?
The featured image ^^above^^ is from a recent post by NOYB. In general I support the efforts of NOYB i.e. Max Schrems et al. But nudging a user in one preferred direction is not illegal, though of course there needs to be strict guide rails.
Consent Mode – Why you should not use it
In theory, the Google Consent Mode is a great idea – it natively builds in consent control into your data collection set up. But there is a considerable flaw in Google’s approach that in my view breaks privacy laws.
Google Analytics & GDPR/Schrems Rulings
With the recent “Austrian ruling” sending shockwaves around the online world, whats actually changed with GDPR Law? As a data manager, what do you need to know, and what are the implications for your data strategy?
Data Protection or Data Privacy?
To me, privacy is a human right. It is not a commodity and exists whether data is collected about me or not.
Data protection only exists if data has been collected. As data is a commodity, it requires regulation to avoid abuse. Hence, data protection.
Cookie Consent Banner Requirements – and how to optimise your opt-in rate
I have been advising organisations on consent for some time. This whitepaper formalises my thinking and is supported with legal expertise from Axel Tandberg – a senior advisor and data protection expert at LegalWorks.se.