If you run a website that uses Google Analytics, you’re letting Google collect data on every visitor, which they can then tie to data collected from millions of other websites. Switching to Fathom or Simple Analytics will still give you visibility into how visitors are using your website, but you’ll also be respecting their right to privacy. Both of these services are GDPR-compliant by default, do not use cookies and therefore don’t require those annoying cookie agreement popups.
– Duck Duck Go
To be honest, I started using Google Analytics far before I really understood the breadth and depth of the amount of data that Google has. And I’m not throwing any shade at them for this! But after realizing that your visitors are trusting you to take reasonable measures to keep them safe, I started to feel bad about my voluntary gift of their information to Google, who’s business model is selling personalized ads to you and me.
Those of us who have run businesses know the importance of taking reasonable measures to keep our customers safe, yet do we do this when it comes to our websites?
Google Analytics is truly amazing in it’s functionality and ease of use. Sure it’s a bit confusing and complicated at first, but that’s just a byproduct of it’s vast functionality and capability. You can literally track anything with it. You drop one line of code into your header and boom. You now have access to everything. Truly amazing.
Free isn’t really free.
We have all grown up in this age of software being primarily free. And this is both the problem for us and the opportunity for businesses.
We must reach a point where we realize that free isn’t really free. Businesses don’t (typically) operate out of the goodness of their heart. And I want the businesses that I use to support my business to be making money, just not at the cost of my users – many of which are totally unaware of the implications.
If you still aren’t convinced, remember that moving to a GDPR compliant analytics provider means no more annoying “accept all cookies” pop ups. No case can be made that the annoying footer pop up requesting you to “Accept All Cookies” creates a good user experience. It just doesn’t.
That message is really just the restaurant host saying “Okay before we seat you, you’ll need to take off all your clothes and don’t mind the cameras and microphones surrounding your table. We just have to notify you of those now.”
Obviously that is something none of us would ever agree with in person at Applebee’s.
How do nude dinner’s sound?
Would you be willing to walk into a restaurant and take all your clothes off at the entrance next time you’re out for dinner? Would you be happy about someone recording the conversation of your next date night out?
So why are we being complicit in this issue? This goes for both users and web developers.
After thinking about this for months, I finally decided to do what I believe to be the responsible thing and pay out of pocket for a web analytics provider. I looked at both Fathom and Simple Analytics (there are many others) and decided to go with Fathom.
At the end of the day, we all have to decide where we are going to draw the line. And to the people out there who argue that if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to worry about, consider this:
Everyone knows what you do in the bathroom, but you still close the door. Your information may not be a secret, but it should remain private.
If you’ve found this post and want to check out Fathom, I’ll be completely transparent that they offer an affiliate program to all of it’s users (including me). If you’re going to use them or are interested, use my link and save some money. Or don’t. I don’t care.
The Details
For every paying customer you refer with your unique code, you’ll get a 25% lifetime commission on their payments to us, and they’ll get a $10 discount on their first invoice.
The Discount Link
https://usefathom.com/ref/110LLG
I could not care any less who you use, but I would challenge you to think about what you want the future of the internet to look like and what role each and every one of us have in shaping it.
I’ll end my little rant with this.
“If you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.”
Only this time, it’s not even you that you’re selling out, it’s all your customers.
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