The European Commission prepared the GDPR, which replaced the outdated 1995 European Data Protection Directive. The idea behind GDPR is to provide individuals with full control over their personal data. It aims to strengthen and unify the rules of data collection from individuals within the European Union.
In the GDPR era, Personal data is not only name, photo, address, phone number or email address. It also includes the following data:
- Biometric and genetic data
- Economic status
- Cultural and social identity
- IP address and geolocation
- Device ID
- Cookies
- Pseudonymous data
Read more about Data controller s, Data processor s or Data processing agreement s.
Visit the Piwik PRO blog to dive deeper into GDPR-related articles.
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]]>GDPR governs the use of and applies to all personal data of persons within its scope. In contrast, HIPAA’s narrower scope only applies to HIPAA-protected health information (PHI).
GDPR sets compliance standards for all entities within its scope. HIPAA sets standards for covered entities and business associates (BAA).
Regarding consent, GDPR requires explicit consent for processing personal health data (which falls under sensitive data). However, the data may be processed without consent if it meets one of the processing conditions in Article 9 of GDPR and a legal basis applies.
A HIPAA authorization is consent obtained from an individual that permits a covered entity or business associate to use or disclose that individual’s protected health information to someone else for a purpose otherwise not permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule. HIPAA allows disclosure of some PHI for 12 national priority purposes, including treatment purposes, without the individual’s consent (authorization).
We’ve written some posts to help you understand GDPR requirements and how they might apply to you:
Be sure to also read our HIPAA-related content:
- HHS guidance on using online tracking technologies: How to make your analytics HIPAA-compliant
- A review of HIPAA-compliant analytics platforms
- The AHA’s lawsuit against HHS guidance on online tracking technologies: What it means for HIPAA-covered entities and their use of analytics
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]]>The post Goal conversion rate appeared first on Piwik PRO.
]]>Learn more:
Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
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]]>More about goal tracking in Piwik PRO help center:
More about goal tracking on Piwik PRO blog:
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]]>The post Google Click Identifier (GCLID) appeared first on Piwik PRO.
]]>How GCLID works
When a user clicks on a Google ad, the landing page URL is automatically appended with a GCLID parameter (for example, www.example.com?gclid=123abc). This process allows advertisers to track users’ journey from the ad click to their actions on the website.
Key functions of GCLID
- Conversion tracking: GCLID plays a vital role in conversion tracking by linking specific clicks to subsequent user actions, such as purchases, sign-ups, or other desired outcomes on the website. This data helps advertisers understand which ads are driving valuable conversions.
- Attribution analysis: By capturing GCLID data, marketers can perform detailed attribution analysis. This analysis helps determine the effectiveness of different advertising strategies and channels, allowing for more informed decision-making.
- Performance optimization: With insights gained from GCLID tracking, businesses can optimize their advertising efforts. Understanding which ads lead to conversions enables marketers to adjust their campaigns for better performance and higher ROI.
Benefits of using GCLID
- Enhanced reporting: GCLID provides granular data that enhances reporting capabilities within Google Ads and analytics tools. Advertisers can generate detailed reports that reflect user interactions and campaign success.
- Improved marketing strategies: By analyzing GCLID data, businesses can refine their marketing strategies based on what best drives conversions, leading to more effective campaigns.
- Data integration: GCLID can be integrated with various analytics platforms, allowing for seamless tracking across different tools and enhancing overall marketing insights.
Problems
Some advertisers have reported issues with Google Ads’ GCLID offline conversion uploads that hindered effective campaign measurement. Although uploads were marked as successful, the associated conversion actions showed zero results. The problems have been resolved for now. For updates, follow the Google Ads Status Dashboard.
Learn more:
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]]>The post Google Consent Mode appeared first on Piwik PRO.
]]>Consent Mode adjusts how Google products, like Analytics, Tag Manager or Ads operate, depending on the visitor’s decision about advertising and analytics cookies. Google Consent Mode has been introduced to make up for the data losses resulting from the consent requirements imposed by GDPR and other data privacy laws. However, the system is not without flaws.
In consent settings, you will find built-in consent checks – ad_storage and analytics_storage – that are used by the given Google tag and can’t be modified.
With only the default settings of Consent Mode in place, Google continues to collect data even when a visitor has explicitly said “no” to tracking and transfers data to the US, where it’s subject to US government surveillance. This is a breach of GDPR and most other privacy laws.
You can be privacy-compliant while using Consent Mode if you apply some modifications to the setup. To do so, you will need to block Google’s hits processed without consent. You’ll do it by forcing every tag to require explicit consent before any data is sent.
Google Consent Mode v2
In November 2023, Google announced the launch of Consent Mode v2 in an effort to better align it with users’ privacy preferences and regulatory demands.
As mentioned, until now, Google Consent Mode used two parameters – ad_storage and analytics_storage. The updated Google Consent Mode includes two additional parameters:
- Ad_user_data determines whether personal data is sent to Google for advertising purposes based on user consent.
- Ad_personalization controls whether personal data can be used for purposes such as remarketing.
When these two new parameters are not “granted”, it will not be possible to build specific audiences and run personalized advertising on Google Ads in the EEA region.
There are two ways to implement Consent Mode v2:
- Basic Consent Mode blocks tags from firing altogether when relevant consent is not granted. As a result, no information is collected for analytics or ads purposes. This option still enables some conversion modeling in Google Ads.
- Advanced Consent Mode involves sending cookieless pings to Google even if consent is not granted. This allows for behavioral modeling and enables full advertising capabilities. At the same time, it does collect users’ data even in the absence of consent.
Without Consent Mode v2, your measurement and reporting, audience list, and ability to do remarketing in the EEA will be restricted. To use Consent Mode v2, you need to have a cookie banner, which typically involves getting a Google-certified CMP, such as Cookie Information. You must implement the new Consent Mode before March 2024.
Additional reading:
- Is Google Analytics GDPR-compliant?
- Is Google Analytics illegal in the EU?
- 6 limitations of Google Analytics
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]]>The post Google v. CNIL appeared first on Piwik PRO.
]]>Decisions of high courts, such as this one, also prove useful in enforcing data privacy. Even if the decisions are made in a particular case between two entities or individuals, these rulings often explain legal provisions and are used as an additional set of legal principles. Historically, court decisions have had more impact in the US, which follows the case law system.
You may also like:
Data privacy laws in the United States and how they affect your business
11 new privacy laws around the world and how they’ll affect your analytics
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