The Italian Data Protection Authority, following in the footsteps of the Austrian and French authorities, declared the use of Google Analytics 3 (GA3) “unlawful” with measure 224 of 9 June 2022.
The problem is that Google‘s analysis service uses cookies to track numerous information (IP address, browser and OS used, date and time of access, etc.) and then transfers the data to the United States of America, in full violation of the GDPR, i.e. EU Regulation 2016/279 on privacy and personal data.
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Why Google Analytics violates the GDPR
The big problem with Google Analytics is that data are located in US servers. This makes the data subject to the less restrictive American laws compared to the European ones, which exposes it to theft and privacy violations.
The other disadvantages of Google Analytics are:
- transmission of all data to the Mountain View giant;
- deletion of data from servers only after many years;
- inaccuracies in analyses;
- sub-optimal evaluation of traffic from social network sites (SNS);
- conflicts with plug-ins and browser extensions that prevent detection.
Google Analytics alternatives
As we have seen, Google Analytics may not be the ultimate solution. There are, in fact, other more secure and paid-for analysis tools. Let’s discover them together.
Matomo
This is one of the best solutions for those seeking a complete and accurate statistics service. The difference with Google Analytics is that it does not reconstruct anonymous data in any way, e.g. by cross-referencing cookies with Google account activity tracking. Matomo offers packages depending on the traffic of the website; for large websites it is possible to go up to EUR 7000 per year, but this starts at EUR 17 per month.
Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics is a simple statistics service with a minimal and “clean” interface. Its strong point? Respect for privacy at affordable prices: plans start at EUR 10 per month.
Fathom Analytics
Fathom Analytics is a financial analysis, reporting and data management tool according to GDPR, CCPA, ePrivacy and PECR. It has been rated 4.5/5 by users and costs approximately EUR 12 per month.
Plausible Analytics
Plausible Analytics is the cheapest of, costing less than EUR 5 per month, is open source (the code can be found on GitHub) and respects privacy and various regulations (GDPR, CCPA, PECR). The graphics are minimalist, but the tool still manages to offer a lot of data.
Parsely
Parsely is part of the “vip” service of the WordPress CMS. It provides complete analytics on the website’s performance. It is available free within WordPress, as long as use is not commercial, otherwise a subscription is required for corporate use.
Rely on the experts at Moka Adv
If you have used Google Analytics until now and would now like to learn about other tools, but have no idea which service is best suited to your company website, rely on the professionals at Moka Adv; they will be able to advise you and develop SEO and SEM strategies in line with your needs. Alternatively, read our JOurnal for more details.