Is Google Analytics now illegal?
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 10:00 am
It is clear that the way Google Analytics was used in the past is now illegal in Europe. But that does not mean that this is generally the case. The fact that most European companies still use Google Analytics is not proof, but at least an indication. If you are looking to attract customers in the EU, we recommend discussing Google Analytics and these specific rulings with your lawyer. A data protection specialist can help you decide whether Google Analytics will continue to enable you to meet the legal requirements that apply to you.
It seems clear that the old Universal Analytics caused legal problems. We therefore recommend removing the code on your website that sends data to Universal Analytics . The old Google Analytics no longer processes any data anyway, and anyone who uses Google Analytics 4 will send different data than was previously the case. As long as the old code is still on the website, data will still reach Google, which could cause problems.
Why is Google Analytics illegal in some EU countries? In addition to cases where no consent tool was used, this is mainly due to a problem with IP addresses . IP addresses are considered personal data, and hashing the last 3 octets is not considered strong enough anonymization, as there is a 1:255 chance of restoring the identity. Therefore, more and more data protection authorities are requiring that the IP address does not leave Europe.
This is a problem because the IP address is always sent from the browser Algeria Phone Number Resource to the server. Many of Google's servers are located in the US, which violates the GDPR according to the mentioned rulings. However, there is a way around this . You can load the gtag.js and the associated pixels from an EU server via the server-side Google Tag Manager. Then delete the IPs before they are sent to Google Analytics for processing in order to be able to use Google Analytics 4 legally in the EU.
Due to the uncertainties, we have more and more customers who want to have sovereignty over their own data in Switzerland and therefore rely on tools such as Matomo . While the legal situation in Switzerland is still unclear, most European companies currently assume that Google Analytics can be used legally if it is correctly configured. The prerequisites are
Remove the old Google Analytics code
Use a consent tool (as a Swiss company, it is important to point out that data is being transferred abroad; here the Swiss data protection law goes further than the GDPR)
Correct configuration of Google Analytics
marketingDo you have questions?
We do not offer legal advice and recommend consulting a lawyer who specializes in this area. Since we have many global companies as customers, we have been dealing with questions about data protection when using Google Analytics since the GDPR was introduced in Europe and can, for example, show where data is transferred to third countries.
It seems clear that the old Universal Analytics caused legal problems. We therefore recommend removing the code on your website that sends data to Universal Analytics . The old Google Analytics no longer processes any data anyway, and anyone who uses Google Analytics 4 will send different data than was previously the case. As long as the old code is still on the website, data will still reach Google, which could cause problems.
Why is Google Analytics illegal in some EU countries? In addition to cases where no consent tool was used, this is mainly due to a problem with IP addresses . IP addresses are considered personal data, and hashing the last 3 octets is not considered strong enough anonymization, as there is a 1:255 chance of restoring the identity. Therefore, more and more data protection authorities are requiring that the IP address does not leave Europe.
This is a problem because the IP address is always sent from the browser Algeria Phone Number Resource to the server. Many of Google's servers are located in the US, which violates the GDPR according to the mentioned rulings. However, there is a way around this . You can load the gtag.js and the associated pixels from an EU server via the server-side Google Tag Manager. Then delete the IPs before they are sent to Google Analytics for processing in order to be able to use Google Analytics 4 legally in the EU.
Due to the uncertainties, we have more and more customers who want to have sovereignty over their own data in Switzerland and therefore rely on tools such as Matomo . While the legal situation in Switzerland is still unclear, most European companies currently assume that Google Analytics can be used legally if it is correctly configured. The prerequisites are
Remove the old Google Analytics code
Use a consent tool (as a Swiss company, it is important to point out that data is being transferred abroad; here the Swiss data protection law goes further than the GDPR)
Correct configuration of Google Analytics
marketingDo you have questions?
We do not offer legal advice and recommend consulting a lawyer who specializes in this area. Since we have many global companies as customers, we have been dealing with questions about data protection when using Google Analytics since the GDPR was introduced in Europe and can, for example, show where data is transferred to third countries.