Tag: Google Analytics Cookies

Google to launch Google Analytics 4 with aim to address EU Data Protection concerns

24. March 2022

On March 16, 2022, Google announced the launch of its new analytics solution, “Google Analytics 4”. Among other things, “Google Analytics 4” aims to address the most recent data protection developments regarding the use of analytical cookies and the transfers tied to such processing.

The announcement of this new launch comes following 101 complaints made by the non-governmental organization None of Your Business (NOYB) complaints with 30 EEA countries’ data protection authorities (DPA). Assessing the data transfer from the EU to the US after the Schrems II decision of the CJEU for the use of Google Analytics, the French and Austrian DPAs ruled that the transfer of EU personal data from the EU to the U.S. through the use of the Google Analytics cookies is unlawful under the GDPR.

In the press release, Google states that “Google Analytics 4 is designed with privacy at its core to provide a better experience for both our customers and their users. It helps businesses meet evolving needs and user expectations, with more comprehensive and granular controls for data collection and usage.”

However, the most important change that the launch of “Google Analytics 4” will have on the processing of personal data is that it will no longer store users’ IP addresses. This will limit the data processing and resulting transfers that Google Analytics was under scrutiny for in the EU, however it is unclear at this point if the EU DPAs will change their opinion on the use of Google Analytics with this new version.

According to the press release, the current Google Analytics will be suspended starting July 2023, and Google is recommending companies to move onto “Google Analytics 4” as soon as possible.

Google plans to stop the use of cookie tracking

15. March 2021

Google announces to stop the usage of third-party cookies in its browser Google Chrome and proclaim they will not implement other similar technologies that could track individuals while surfing on the web.

Cookies are small pieces of code used on almost every website. They are automatically downloaded when a user visits a website and from then on send data from the user back to the website operator. From this data, companies can create profiles of the user and personalize advertising based on the data collected. Originally, cookies were intended to give web browsers a “memory”. With cookies, online shops save shopping carts and users can stay logged in to online sites.

In a Blogpost published on March 3rd, 2021, David Temkin, Director of Product Management, Ads Privacy and Trust at Google, announced that the next update Google Chrome in April will allow cookie tracking to be turned of completely. With Google Chrome, only so-called “first-party cookies” of the respective website operator remain permitted. The decision will have lasting consequences, as Google Chrome has been the most widely used browser since 2012. The move comes after Google’s competitors Apple and Mozilla announced similar mechanisms for their Safari and Firefox browsers (please see our blog post). Temkin writes:

Keeping the internet open and accessible for everyone requires all of us to do more to protect privacy — and that means an end to not only third-party cookies, but also any technology used for tracking individual people as they browse the web.

Since the personalized advertising based on data, and thus the tracking of the data, is Google’s core business, Google will not stop either the data collection or the personalization of the advertising. Instead of individual profiles, Google will form cohorts of people with similar interests, to which advertising will be tailored. These cohorts are said to be broad enough to preserve the anonymity of individual users. This concept is called “Federated Learning of Cohorts” (FLoC). Google Ads FLoC based advertising is said to start in the second quarter of 2021.

Data will then be collected by the browser and stored locally and not by cookies. Every URL on a website and every content accessed can then be accessed by Google targeting algorithm. Algorithms on the end device are to calculate hash values from the browser history, for example, which enable the assignment to such a cohort. Google sends a selection of ads to the browser, which selects ads that match the cohort and shows them to the user.

While third-party cookies are gradually becoming obsolete, Google is replacing them with a system that Google can completely control itself. This will make it more difficult for competitors such as Facebook Ads in the future, as they will have to rely primarily on first-party data and on data obtained from cookies in smaller browsers.

Greek Data Protection Authority releases Guidance on Cookies

16. March 2020

On 25 February 2020, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (DPA) published a guidance on Cookies and other tracking tools. Previously, the Authority had found that Greek websites and service providers have been largely failing to comply with the rules on the use of Cookies and other trackers set out by the ePrivacy Directive and the GDPR, and reaffirmed by the European Court of Justice’s ruling on Planet 49.

The guidance states that it will be relevant to HTTP/S Cookies, Flash Cookies, local storage applying to HTML 5, device fingerprinting, OS identifiers, and material identifiers.

The Greek DPA reiterated that, generally, providers are obliged to obtain the user’s consent if they are using any tracking tools – irrespective of whether the processing of personal data is taking place. It also outlined that technically necessary trackers are exempt from the obligation to consent. Furthermore, the guidance goes into detail on how information and consent can be made available on websites specifically.

Lastly, the Authority has given Greek website providers a grace period of two months to implement the provisions of this guidance and thereby become compliant with the European rules on tracking tools.