Plugging In to Opt Out of Google Analytics

It looks like Google are going to allow visitors to websites which are tracked with their Analytics package to opt-out of having information about their interactions stored, although it seems like they’ll release this as a browser plug in.

There are two massive issues with this, Firstly – it would be a massive blow to Google Analytics if website visitors opt-out en masse. Tracking visitors with JavaScript over using log file analysis already has issues around the completeness of data. Secondly, a browser plug in will only appeal to those most clued into how the internet works (and maybe the tinfoil hat people)

So, what’s the point in all this? Well the main issue is privacy, and concerns over what data is being stored on a visitor through Google Analytics. One of the things some people don’t understand is that tracking through an analytics package is one of the key reasons why the web improves, having a better understanding of how visitors interact with a website – ultimately leads to improvements.

It will be interesting to see how this get’s rolled out, with more news due over the coming weeks.

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