What is GDPR? Examples for GDPR Compliance in Analytics

Gdpr

EU regulation requiring explicit consent, data minimization, and privacy protections for personal data in web analytics.

1. Understanding GDPR

• Definition and purpose

  GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation. It replaced the 1995 Data Protection Directive to harmonize data privacy laws across the EU, strengthen individuals’ rights, and impose stricter obligations on organizations.

• Scope and territorial applicability

  GDPR applies to any controller or processor handling the personal data of EU residents, regardless of where the organization is based.

  • Data subjects

    Individuals whose personal data is processed under GDPR protections.

  • Controllers vs processors

    Controllers determine the purposes of processing; processors act on their behalf and must follow documented instructions.

• Key principles

  GDPR is built on foundational principles to ensure responsible data handling.

  • Lawfulness, fairness, transparency

    Processing must be legal, reasonable, and open to the data subject.

  • Purpose limitation

    Data must be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes only.

  • Data minimization

    Only data strictly necessary for the processing purpose should be collected.

2. Impact on Web Analytics

• Cookie usage restrictions

  Under GDPR, non-essential cookies that process personal data require explicit user consent before being set or accessed.

  • Prior consent

    Users must opt in before any analytics cookies are stored or read.

  • Cookie classification

    Differentiate strictly necessary cookies from those requiring consent.

• Consent requirements

  Consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Organizations must record and manage consent events.

  • Affirmative action

    Consent must be given by a clear, positive action (e.g., checking a box).

  • Withdrawal

    Users must be able to withdraw consent as easily as they gave it.

• Data subject rights

  GDPR grants individuals rights such as access, erasure, portability, and objection to automated profiling.

  • Right to access

    Users can request details on how their data is processed.

  • Right to erasure

    Users can demand deletion of their personal data from systems.

• Data retention policies

  Personal data should only be retained for as long as necessary and then securely deleted or anonymized.

  • Automated deletion

    Configure analytics platforms to automatically purge data after defined retention periods.

3. Implementing GDPR Compliance with SaaS Analytics Tools

• Cookie-free analytics with PlainSignal

  PlainSignal delivers simple, privacy-focused analytics without using cookies or storing personal data, often eliminating the need for explicit consent. Example tracking code:

  <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
  <script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/plainsignal-min.js"></script>
  

  • Code implementation

    Paste the PlainSignal snippet in your site’s head section—no cookie banner required.

  • Consent implications

    Because no cookies are used, many regulators consider this approach GDPR-compliant without explicit consent.

• Cookie-based analytics with GA4

  Google Analytics 4 relies on cookies by default, requiring integration with a consent management platform and proper configuration for GDPR compliance.

  • Consent mode setup

    Use gtag('consent', 'default', { 'analytics_storage': 'denied' }); to block analytics until consent is granted.

  • Ip anonymization

    Enable IP anonymization (anonymize_ip) to mask users’ IP addresses before storage.

  • Data retention configuration

    Adjust data retention settings in the GA4 Admin panel to comply with your organization’s policy.

4. Best Practices for GDPR-Compliant Analytics

• Data minimization

  Collect only the metrics and dimensions essential to your analysis goals, avoiding unnecessary personal data.

• Privacy by design and default

  Embed privacy considerations into every stage of your analytics setup—from data collection to reporting.

• Transparent privacy notices

  Clearly inform users about what data you collect, why, how it’s processed, and how they can exercise their rights.

• Regular audits and documentation

  Perform periodic reviews of your data processing activities and maintain a record of processing operations.

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