back to article Mountain View promises Google Analytics opt-out

Google is developing a browser plug-in that will let you opt-out of being tracked by Google Analytics, the traffic monitoring service now used by 71 per cent of the top domains on the interwebs. In a blog post yesterday, Google Analytics product manager Amy Chang said that engineers are "finalizing" testing on the plug-in and …

COMMENTS

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  1. Number6

    Opted Out

    I've got it banned in NoScript already, and have got a long time.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    there is already

    for firefox check out ghostery. it blocks the vast majority of tracking/analytics.

    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9609

  3. chr0m4t1c
    Happy

    Google Analytics

    is that the same one I have blocked in my router and AdBlock and NoScript?

    Do I need to opt out too?

  4. petur
    Thumb Down

    Sad....

    For web admins, it is a great tool to follow up your site and adapt to the visitors...

    1. Alan W. Rateliff, II
      Paris Hilton

      Because server log analysis is just so 1997...

      End of line.

      Paris, a one-liner, as well.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Down

        Norfolk Logic...

        so .." log analysis is just so 1997" and letting somone else like the chocolate factory hold data and analayse your customers users habits is sooo 2010.

        Promote that man/woman etc.

        mmmm

        you didnt get your Murketing Diplomer in Norfolk by any chance...

        1. Alan W. Rateliff, II
          Paris Hilton

          Title?

          "letting somone else like the chocolate factory hold data and analayse your customers users habits is sooo 2010."

          Precisely my point, good sir!

          Paris, good, sir!

  5. Alan W. Rateliff, II
    Paris Hilton

    Don't want to be tracked?

    No problem, just install this tracking-- errrr, blocking application. It will tell us now many times and what sites you are skipping out on for Analytics' purposes. And the information it provides will be completely non-identifiable, uniquely identifiable numbers.

    Paris, you can trust her, too.

  6. John70

    Plugins

    Why should we need to install a plug-in to opt out of Google Spyware?

    Google Spyware should be opt-in and you opt-in by installing the plug-ins.

    Isn't it time for Vivien Reading to look into Google Spyware like she did with Phorm?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Analytics IS opt in...

      ...It's just that you don't make that choice, the developer of the site does.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Blocking cookies

    I am constantly amazed by how many websites fail when you block cookies and don't even tell you that you need them enabled.

    1. Nick Stallman
      FAIL

      Yeah...

      Cause blocking them is one of the most stupid and pointless things you can do online.

      If you block them, then thats your problem.

      NoScript will handle stuff like Analytics without making every website fall over.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yes, Ghostery

    Currently blocking Google Analytics and Quantcast on El Reg.

    Anonymous as I have piwik on my site.

  9. lglethal Silver badge
    IT Angle

    Someone more tech saavy...

    Can you please explain why i would want to install this plugin to "opt-out" of Google spyware as opposed to just using No-script to block it completely?

  10. A J Stiles
    Thumb Up

    I've got my own

    I've had my very own Google Analytics opt-out for awhile now .....

    ##### in /etc/bind/named.conf #####

    ZONE google-analytics.com {

    type master;

    file db.unwanted;

    };

    ;;;;; in /var/cache/bind/db.unwanted ;;;;;

    $TTL 604800

    @ IN SOA localhost. root.localhost. (

    2010031901 ; Serial

    604800 ; Refresh

    86400 ; Retry

    2419200 ; Expire

    604800 ) ; Negative Cache TTL

    ;

    @ IN A 127.0.0.3

    @ IN NS localhost.

    ns IN A 192.168.32.214

    ;

    * IN A 127.0.0.3

    1. Grommet

      much easier in hosts file surely

      /etc/hosts or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

      127.0.0.1 google-analytics.com

      Or NoScript as the first poster said much easier.

      KISS

      1. A J Stiles
        Alert

        But

        Ah, but my method works for my whole LAN -- no need to synchronise hostsfiles between machines.

        I suppose I could symlink /etc/hosts to a file on a network share, but that wouldn't really be less effort.

  11. Charlie Clark Silver badge
    Welcome

    Anticipating legislation

    GA currently contravenes data protection legislation of a number of countries and pressure is starting slowly to restrict its use. However, as the sanctions are not particularly harsh and enforcement very patchy there is nothing really to worry about at the moment.

    Things change in the EU from April next year as legislation passed by the parliament must be put into force in all member states: all cookies will be opt-in only. Google wants to be seen to be showing willing.

  12. Jamie Jones Silver badge
    Flame

    ARRRGH ADBLOCK ETC.

    Whenever there is an article like this, you can guarantee the sanctimonious will come out with "oooh, I use ad block" or "noscript" or some dns/hosts hack.

    Get over it, we don't want to know. This is The Register, remember? We know these things.

    And Reg, all these people admitting they are blocking your ads - you may as well ban them!

    1. Mike Flugennock

      re: ARRRGH ADBLOCK ETC.

      Hell, yeah; I shitcanned pretty much every advertising domain I saw at El Reg first chance I had, as quickly as I could mouse down to the NoScript and AdBlock menus.

      Still, should El Reg really care? I mean, aren't they paid by the advertisers whether the readers actually see their crap or not?

  13. John Tserkezis

    @there is already

    At the base of the Ghostery web site:

    "2010 Ghostery, a part of The Better Advertising Project, Inc., 450 Lexington Avenue, c/o Warburg Pincus LLC, New York, NY 10017"

    Then, at the "The Better Advertising Project" website, their motto is:

    "We make advertising better. A lot better."

    Make up your own mind...

    1. Imagus
      Go

      Ghostery isn't evil

      @John Tserkezis: On the Ghostery website, there's also this:

      To be clear - we are not an advertising agency, advertising network, advertising data collector, advertising exchange or any other type of company that collects and uses online consumer behavior for advertising purposes. Any data that we collect is never transferred to any other party or used for any advertising-related purpose.

      And from their FAQ:

      What data does Better Advertising receive from users who opt-in to GhostRank?

      Ghostery users must opt-in to GhostRank. We will use the data from GhostRank to discover new trackers on the internet; view specific performance and use statistics; and follow industry compliance with privacy and choice standards for behavioral advertising.

    2. Imagus
      Go

      Ghostery isn't evil

      @John Tserkezis: On the Ghostery website, there's also this:

      To be clear - we are not an advertising agency, advertising network, advertising data collector, advertising exchange or any other type of company that collects and uses online consumer behavior for advertising purposes. Any data that we collect is never transferred to any other party or used for any advertising-related purpose.

      And from the Ghostery FAQ:

      What data does Better Advertising receive from users who opt-in to GhostRank?

      Ghostery users must opt-in to GhostRank. We will use the data from GhostRank to discover new trackers on the internet; view specific performance and use statistics; and follow industry compliance with privacy and choice standards for behavioral advertising.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    The odds are on a non-home computer you have been opted out

    Analytics matches the standard "anal/i" regexp which is present in most net-nanny like software. So as a matter of fact, if your browsing passes through a machine controlled by the "Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" or as they are usually known "IT working on HR's orders" it is already opted out.

    You got to love the "censored" Internet as presented to the corporate slaves in their cubicles and open plan offices.

  15. Cliff

    That'll include this site then?

    The Reg uses Google Analytics, quantserve and doubleclick for a second dose of Google tracking all on this very page. Thank you NoScript :-)

  16. Imagus
    Go

    Ghostery is (probably) (not) (very) evil...

    @John Tserkezis: On the Ghostery website, there's also this:

    To be clear - we are not an advertising agency, advertising network, advertising data collector, advertising exchange or any other type of company that collects and uses online consumer behavior for advertising purposes. Any data that we collect is never transferred to any other party or used for any advertising-related purpose.

    And from the Ghostery FAQ:

    What data does Better Advertising receive from users who opt-in to GhostRank?

    Ghostery users must opt-in to GhostRank. We will use the data from GhostRank to discover new trackers on the internet; view specific performance and use statistics; and follow industry compliance with privacy and choice standards for behavioral advertising.

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