Will Google Analytics be banned in Europe soon? Beware of shortcuts

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Will Google Analytics be banned in Europe soon? Google’s Web Analytics platform launched in 2005, and since then, Nearly five million businesses They have used it to monitor and report their traffic Web sitesThe website is the digital showcase of your business. This is an easy and effective way …. Many problems have arisen in Europe because Google Analytics was found to be inadequately protecting the data of EU citizens and may eventually be banned. In addition, online services from the United States were found to be transferring and exposing European data to US surveillance, thereby infringing GDPR. However, we need to be wary of emergency decisions.

Will Google Analytics be banned in Europe soon? Do not go too fast

Today’s guest Magdalena PavlitkoAt the head of sales Bevik Pro (DACH & France), a Polish web analytics software publisher. He answered Visionary Marketing questions about the marketing and customer strategy event held in Paris on March 30, 2022.

With her, we thought about the following question: Can Google Analytics one day be banned across Europe? We worked on the scenarios to answer this question by conducting our own research and drawing on Magdalena’s knowledge of the subject.

As we see here, predicting the outcome of Google Analytics is not so easy.

What are the current European threats against Google Analytics?

It all started in Austria When European Center for Digital Rights (NOYB)A Vienna-based non-profit organization has filed a lawsuit directly against the Austrian Medical Information Association. Dr. Net.

The Austrian company, like millions of other companies, uses Google Analytics’ cookie, as described. Wire, American Magazine, “Keeps track of the pages you read, the length of time you visit the Internet, and information about your device. ⁇

Google can assign a unique identifier to the browser used to connect the visitor with other browsing data.

Additionally, with the use of Google Analytics, all data monitored by Google transcends the Atlantic from Europe to the United States.

On December 22, 2021, theAustrian Data Protection Agency (DPA) Google Analytics app decides to override GDPR. Natasha Lomas Of Tech Crunch Also states that “IP anonymous feature is not implemented properly”.

As our readers already know, an IP address is personal information that is linked to other data to accurately identify the user.

However, this is not unique to NetDoktor as millions of companies in Europe use Google Analytics. But it is also one of the clearest indicators that some European regulators do not agree on how US technology companies send and collect data in Europe.

What do other countries think about the ban on Google Analytics?

Currently, Austria is the only European country to declare the use of Google Analytics illegal. As Magdalena Pawlitko from Piwik PRO puts it: “Recent restrictions on Austria are the most severe in Europe.”

As for the other European countries involved, Magdalena Pavlitko says: “European countries are concerned in the same way, but have different perspectives on the issue. For example, Austria, the Netherlands, France and Germany are preparing their own response to the latest legal interpretations and requirements. I did some research in these countries.

As mentioned earlier about Austria, Matthias SchmidtSays the Deputy Director of the Austrian Data Controller Wire, “The transfer of information from Austria to the United States was considered illegal due to the lack of adequate security for the personal data exchanged. ⁇

In the Netherlands, the Security Council is currently reviewing two specific complaints against Google Analytics and has not yet ruled on a possible ban on using the site.

Regarding France, Magdalena Pavlitko adds: “I think so CNIL (National Commission for Computers and Freedom) In France, the example shows, because it refers to the procedures that citizens must follow and the tools that are compliant with RGPD. ⁇

However, CNIL only makes recommendations to website owners who use Google Analytics to stop using the Site or to find another data tracking tool that is GDPR compliant and does not send data outside of Europe.

Finally, in Germany, questions are explored one by one to determine whether user protection is guaranteed, and in its absence, “additional measures must be taken to comply with this level of security”. eTracker.

For the whole of the European Union (EU), other EU officials are expected to follow the decisions of data protection authorities such as Austria and Germany. Data Compliance Manager for Europe, Simon McCormackIn Wire “The Austrian position could be at one end of a spectrum of opinion – and it could mean a more drastic decision,” he said, adding that other regulators would approve, modify or reject legal solutions implemented by Austria.

When other EU regulators look at other events, especially NOYB, they will come to their own conclusion as they are currently preparing another 10,000 complaints.

Finally, if Google Analytics is completely banned in Europe, it will affect millions of European sites that rely on Google’s site for data tracking (transparency: including telecommunications marketing due to the link between referring to Google sites and using the Google console, and therefore Google Analytics). BarIts infrastructure is located and operating in the United States.

What could happen in the future?

1. A first scene Google Analytics may be banned altogether in Europe, where no data will be transferred from Europe to the Atlantic across the Atlantic, but it will not be immediate because the law must be enforced. As a result, US companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Instagram, or European companies with infrastructure in the United States, such as the French health appointment booking agency DoctolipIn this case, their European consumer data can no longer be monitored or collected to the extent that their services are discontinued.
2. Display 2 US-based technology companies will store and consolidate their data in Europe to ensure they are fully compliant with the laws. ePrivacy And GDPR. It will eventually go against Cloud Law It stipulates that all U.S. service providers, upon order, must provide U.S. authorities with data stored on their servers, locally or internationally. As Magdalena Pawlitko affirms: “Any company controlled or based in the United States is subject to US law, which means that if the US government requests these companies to disclose their audience data, they are required by law to exclude other countries’ law relating to privacy in Europe, such as GDPR.” The situation is hard to imagine because the cloud law has to be stopped, which is not as easy as it sounds.
3. Another chance, a Third Th Display European companies want to find alternatives to Google Analytics and ensure that the web analytics program they use complies with GDPR and ePrivacy rules. Unlike the overall ban on Google Analytics, relocating European businesses to another site is easily and quickly implemented. Magdalena Pavlitko agrees logically, considering her position on the situation, adding: “I think it’s good that companies are looking at European solutions that can be used to ensure that its audience data is safe and what it is used for.”
4. Finally, the The fourth scene Related to the use of the bill Online law of innovation and choice On top of thatNoveltyDiscovery is the ability to understand a buyer’s behavior (intuitive or not) to … And online selection. Thomas Romanoff Of Bilateral Policy Center The law states that it is “the latest bipartisan attempt to target large technology companies for potential crimes related to breaches of trust and consumer choice control.” If this bill is passed and then this law is applied, the question will be resolved. But if it’s a lot.

The best ban on Google Analytics is one that businesses can implement with their mice

Overall, it will take time for regulations to change and for laws to be adopted and enforced worldwide.

In the event of a failure, companies may begin to look for other ways to monitor consumer data that are safe and compliant with privacy laws.

Therefore, there is no need to ban Google Analytics or other US-based web analytics sites in Europe.

European companies should therefore only use local analytics sites to ensure the security of their visitors’ data. Instead of waiting for the laws to be enforced, companies should start working EthicsMarketing ethics covers a very wide range of themes. You must first see … Find alternatives that comply with ePrivacy and GDPR laws.

Despite the risk posed by Google, this is a major risk that will one day disappear beneath the bill. Online law of innovation and choice.

You can find our full interview with Magdalena on our podcast.

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