GA is overwhelming. I’ve seen how people open their GA dashboards and are paralyzed by the sheer amount of information. Now, Google is forcing all their users to GA4, which is even more complicated than Universal Analytics.
So yeah, GA has two big problems: information overflow and privacy.
What’s interesting, though, is that most analytics tools still violate European privacy laws. The GDPR is straightforward: if you collect or process personal data, you need user consent. So, if your tracker is anonymous, that should be fine.
But, the ePrivacy Directive also applies to web analytics software. Article 5.3. states: "Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his or her consent…"
In other words, every analytics tool needs user consent. More about that topic here: https://volument.com/comply-with-data-privacy-laws
So yeah, GA has two big problems: information overflow and privacy.
What’s interesting, though, is that most analytics tools still violate European privacy laws. The GDPR is straightforward: if you collect or process personal data, you need user consent. So, if your tracker is anonymous, that should be fine.
But, the ePrivacy Directive also applies to web analytics software. Article 5.3. states: "Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his or her consent…"
In other words, every analytics tool needs user consent. More about that topic here: https://volument.com/comply-with-data-privacy-laws