Following yesterday’s reports that Austria’s data protection agency found Google Analytics to be in breach of the GDPR, Dutch data protection group Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens has released a new document warning that Google Analytics could soon be banned following an investigation into the service. The data protection agency’s main problem with the service is that it collects unnecessary cookies and sends them back to the US.
The document, titled Guidelines for Setting Up Privacy-Friendly Google Analytics, has a note at the front, with the information roughly translated as follows:
Note: The use of Google Analytics may soon be disallowed. The Austrian privacy watchdog completed an investigation into the use of Google Analytics in January 2022. According to the Austrian regulator, Google Analytics does not appear to be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens is currently investigating two complaints regarding the use of Google Analytics in the Netherlands. After completing this investigation in early 2022, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens will be able to state whether Google Analytics is allowed next.
While the GDPR may prohibit the use of Google Analytics in its current state, it’s likely that Google will simply change the software itself to make it compliant. GDPR is a uniform EU-wide regulation, so unless Google makes enough changes, it may end up not being available in the EU-27.