Web Analytics

Yes. Data protection authorities in Austria, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, and Norway have all ruled that the use of Google Analytics violates GDPR because it transfers personal data (including IP addresses and device identifiers) to the US without adequate protection. While Google introduced server-side data processing and IP anonymization in GA4, the core concern remains: Google is a US company subject to US surveillance laws. Many legal experts advise switching to a fully EU-based analytics solution to eliminate risk.

For most websites, no. European analytics tools track pageviews, referral sources, geographic data, device types, and conversion goals. What you lose are features that rely on invasive tracking: cross-site user profiles, demographic data from Google's ad network, and deep integration with Google Ads. If you do not run Google Ads, you are unlikely to miss any critical functionality. Many teams find that privacy-friendly dashboards are actually cleaner and more actionable than GA's complex interface.

Yes, if implemented correctly. Cookieless analytics tools identify unique visits using techniques like daily-rotating hashes of the visitor's IP and user-agent, which cannot be used to track individuals across days or sites. Because no personal data is stored on the visitor's device and no persistent identifiers are created, most EU data protection authorities agree that cookie consent is not required. However, you should still mention the analytics tool in your privacy policy for transparency.