At the beginning of 2022, the internet world was turned upside down. The news that Google Analytics would be banned in the Netherlands due to privacy concerns shook the industry to its core. Now, the initial panic has subsided, and it turns out that Google Analytics will remain available within our borders, thanks to changes in the regulations.
Google Analytics is so deeply integrated into our strategies that we can hardly imagine working without it. It allows you to track a user’s journey on your website, from entry to exit, with precision. What path does the user take? On which page do they click away? Which Call to Action generates the most conversions? All this data is essential for improving your website over time.
It was, however, Google Analytics itself that jeopardized its continued operation in the Netherlands. Data from websites was being digitally transferred to the United States by Google Analytics. This practice violates GDPR regulations, which stipulate that all data collected through Google Analytics must remain within Europe. The Austrian privacy authority, DSB, sounded the alarm, prompting the privacy organization NYOB to file a lawsuit. The result? Google Analytics had to fear for its existence in the Netherlands.
But was all the commotion about Google Analytics at the beginning of 2022 justified? In today’s era, where privacy is more important than ever, we can conclude that it was. The fact that data was being transferred to the United States posed significant risks. The U.S. lacks GDPR-compliant legislation, which meant that third parties could access the data—something entirely against the laws we uphold in Europe.
This incident prompted Google Analytics to implement a change. Google Analytics has now introduced EU domains, ensuring that website data no longer leaves Europe. Additionally, Google Analytics promises not to collect IP addresses. With this adjustment, Google Analytics is back in compliance with GDPR regulations, and the risk of its removal from the Netherlands has been avoided.
To check if this has already been implemented for your website, you’ll need to dive into the network tab of your developer tools. As shown in the screenshot, you can see region1.google-analytics.com or region1.analytics.google.com in the Request URL. This ensures that Google has aligned your website with European GDPR regulations. This way, you can use Google Analytics again in a privacy-friendly manner. All’s well that ends well in what seemed to be an endless saga.
