According to the decision of the European data protection authorities, the use of Google Analytics presents a risk to website users whose data is collected and transferred to the United States. However, personal data can also be collected in ways that meet the criteria of data protection legislation.
The European data protection authorities have delineated that the use of Google Analytics violates the EU's General Data Protection Regulation.
Personal data collected with Google Analytics has been transferred by Google to the United States, allowing the US intelligence services to potentially scrutinise the data unless it is properly protected.
The French supervisory authority CNIL has ordered a French website operator to modify their data processing practices and, if necessary, to cease using Google Analytics under the current terms.
Currently, in addition to France, the Netherlands and Austria have also found Google Analytics to be contrary to data protection legislation. It is expected that other countries will also respond as the year progresses.
What if Google Analytics can no longer be used in Europe?
Google Analytics has become the industry 'standard' when measuring website traffic and user activity. Measures based on analytics have been used in site optimisation, and for example, Google's advertising is largely targeted with the help of this data.
If the use of Google Analytics is prohibited throughout the EU, this will cause a significant amount of work for website and web shop operators.
Although Google Analytics is widely used, it is completely replaceable.
Three alternatives to collecting and retaining analytics in the future
If Google Analytics is banned in the EU area, or you wish to take complete control of your online shop's or service's analytics data and ensure that the data is retained within the EU, we have listed three good alternatives to Google Analytics.
These services allow data to be stored within the EU and do not violate data protection legislation.
Matomo Analytics
Matomo is an open-source analytics software that can be manually installed on a server or in the cloud. It can perform much the same user tracking as Google Analytics.
Matomo easily scales to even the most demanding needs, as it allows access to raw data, which can be exported in the desired format to external systems. Google Analytics uses sampling of data to make the best estimate based on this, while Matomo uses the entire data mass for the analytics in the background. Matomo also has its own Tag Manager, which operates on the same principles as Google's equivalent.
Crasman has added Matomo Analytics to its offerings.
Piwik Pro
Piwik Pro Enterprise is the big sibling of Matomo Analytics. In addition to all the features of Matomo, it also includes, for example, a Consent Manager and integrations with Google Ads and Google Search Console.
Piwik Pro more appropriately meets the needs of Google Analytics 360 users. The software can be installed on its own server, in a cloud offered by Piwik Pro within the EU, or in a private cloud environment.
Plausible
Plausible is a very lightweight, open-source analytics software that can be installed on its own server or in the cloud.
If most of the features of Google Analytics have been left unused by you and you only need site visitor numbers, popular pages, where users came from, and simple events and goals, then Plausible might be a good option for you. The software is made so simple that it can be used without extensive training or experience.
If you want to hear more about data analytics, its alternatives, or wish to develop your service's analytics, feel free to get in touch!
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Crasman Ltd
16 Feb 2022
