If you are using Google Analytics with your website then you could unwittingly find yourself on the wrong side of relevant data protection laws in some jurisdictions.
Here is a selection of links to recent The Hacker News newsletter articles illustrating developments around the world.
Matomo, a web analytics developer, published a useful overview of the legal landscape affecting the use of Google Analytics at the following link.
Read more: Google Analytics 4 and GDPR: Everything You Need to Know
The Hacker News published the following post.
Read more: Italy Data Protection Authority Warns Websites Against Use of Google Analytics
An article was published in the Joomla! Community Magazine article which contained a brief overview of the legal landscape as well as exploring alternative traffic monitoring options.
The Hacker News reported that "TikTok has been fined €5 million (about $5.4 million) by the French data protection watchdog for breaking cookie consent rules, making it the latest platform to face similar penalties after Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft since 2020."
The French Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) said in a statement:
"Users of 'tiktok[.]com' could not refuse cookies as easily as accepting them and they were not informed in a sufficiently precise way of the objectives of the different cookies".
Read more: TikTok Fined $5.4 Million by French Regulator for Violating Cookie Laws
The Hacker News reported that the "Swedish data protection watchdog has warned companies against using Google Analytics due to risks posed by U.S. government surveillance, following similar moves by Austria, France, and Italy last year."
"The development comes in the aftermath of an audit initiated by the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) against four companies CDON, Coop, Dagens Industri, and Tele2."
Read more: Swedish Data Protection Authority warns companies against Google Analytics use
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Read more: The Hacker News Newsletter
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Ensure your website complies with GDPR Regulations
Non-compliance runs the risk of incurring financial penalties.
Read more: Ensure your website complies with GDPR Regulations.
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