Privacy By Design Saves You Money: Google Analytics has an opt out browser add on
This week I was emailed by a very large wordpress community out there saying either I had to anonymize IP addresses deep inside google analytics or use an annoying pop up for it on my site but they were coming to the rescue with a premium plugin to save the day, at a price...
However I knew from having actually read the official information that it should never be necessary for me to buy something like that, I had been saying here all along it's up to google to do something at its back end, well I just discovered that it has - I don't know how long this is out there but I just discovered it having a bit of fun browsing the privacy policies of national sites with deep pockets and teams of lawyers in them and our national weather site here had a link to a Google Analytics opt out browser add-on for visitors who do not want to be tracked!! I'd be so pissed off right now if I'd shelled out for a premium plugin to do this.
But is it necessary to present people with this option?
I'm still not convinced.
...in some ways we are turning visitors into restaurant critics or divas demanding a bunch of stuff they don't need that could actually 'break the internet' and may have been covered under 'collecting data you need' within the regulations.
Why I'm Showing You This
I'm just showing you this in case you feel pushed into a corner to do something about GA at some point and so that you remember 'privacy by design' is part of GDPR, it's not all on us and we should not have to pay for plugins. But time will tell if we really need to use that.
Has Europe Gone Overboard?
That said, the european sites I've been on this week seem to have gone absolutely overboard with GDPR, I'm convinced some have been given expensive bad advice, and others are just going to copy what everyone else is doing. Though thankfully they are doing different things, and there are different interpretations visible as the dust settles on this and some saner than others.
And it's not just websites - I know of some businesses that have jumped on the GDPR bandwagon with privacy by design working against their customers - either with wrong advice or deliberately trying to get $1000 out of their customers for 'updated GDPR compliant software' . The example I saw was certainly wrong but most people will fall for it unless they read up the official website data.
Watching the dust settle on this,
Mary
Recent Comments
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I have gotten dozens of offers asking me to buy expensive software to fix the GDPR problem. I'm following Kyle's advice to not panic, up date my privacy policy and make a few changes in my opt-in forms.
Thank you Marian Black, Loess and all you who have shared info with us. The only thing I am really having trouble with is cookies. I have no idea what cookies I maybe collecting, for what or how long. I have compiled a list of third party programs I am using together with links to their policy page and included that list in my privacy page.
great idea there, for sure cookies is the one thing stands out as being a gap in information to all of us, I woke up this morning thinking of cookies, not the edible ones either
the european websites have not got cookie controls right in years and seem to be getting worse now with gdpr, if that is any consolation :D
yes, european websites have gone pop up crazy right now, it is so aggravating to use one - with a national news site or weather or tv site or local shop we don't have much options but to put up with them but with global choice when it comes to blogging then no one would deal with a site that has that many aggravating pop ups when there are alternatives, also all the American aggressive marketing sites and affiliate programs have done nothing to present me with privacy options
Hi Mary,
I have the Google Analytics opt out browser add-on but it's for removing me from my results in Google Analytics, so I won't be included.
When I would be on Google Analytics there was always a visitor on every time and after a while I realized it was me. I would check what post was viewed and it was the one I was on.
I added the Google Analytics opt out browser add-on, I see the logo on my browser. I wrote a post on not long after I joined so about 11 months ago.
I don't want my results to be included so it's a good thing to have. I've had it for so long :)
I agree with how they have gone over board and of course others will want to 'cash in' on this taking advantage of us.
that's interesting Patsy, the weather site has it for all visitors to get themselves off their tracking, it would be awful if people became that paranoid though, it's good for us on our own website not to register in our stats, I see Stella2 also has a way to do it, I never bothered, all of my traffic comes from outside Ireland so I'm easy to spot in my traffic :)
also interesting that this feature has been round a LONG time and peeps still created plugins :0
Hi Stella,
I did it with the filter as well and didn't know our IP addresses change, so I kept adding them to the filter. There are 2 different types that need to be taken care of and not just the one.
It wasn't working for me and then the opt out browser add-on came my way and I added it. At least it's not a plugin.
Not long ago, I removed it just to see and there I was on again so I added it back.
Hi Mary, I had no idea there were plugins?
Of course there has to be plugins, they make them for everything!
At least you don't have to worry about your's :D
it is GDPR christmas and lots of people thought out how to make a real profit, very serious money left and right!
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What is GDPR, and what changes, if any, do I need to make to my Privacy Policy?
Here you go :) It's WA's official explanation along with how to quickly update your privacy policy in a very easy way. GDPR Compliance. Our Official Take.
Hi Allan, it's about protection of personal data for your european traffic, Kyle has given a new privacy policy template and opened a discussion on it because there are many interpretations as to how this will roll out. Here is a summary I did on it Summary of GDPR for Affiliates and Bloggers: More than a Privacy Policy and Cookies showing it is more than just a privacy policy and cookies, we have to keep on top of our security updates now and be aware of protecting people's personal data better and that wordpress has included new features in the dashboard for exporting and erasing data, which we are all hoping no one will bother asking for anyway.
Apparently it is people living in europe that have their personal data privacy protected to a higher standard now, not so sure if that means it rubs off to the rest of the world or can we really be loose with everyone else's data [kidding! :D]