Can I Use Google Analytics with GDPR?

Using Google Analytics in Europe has felt like walking a tightrope recently, caught between the need for website data and the strict privacy rules of GDPR. With multiple European countries declaring it non-compliant, you might be wondering if it's even possible to use it anymore. This guide will walk you through exactly what the issues are and provide concrete, actionable steps to configure a more GDPR-friendly Google Analytics 4 setup.

So, Why Is Google Analytics Such a Big Deal for GDPR?

The core of the problem isn't what Google Analytics does, but where it does it. Google, being a U.S.-based company, transfers the data it collects from your EU website visitors to its servers in the United States. This became a major issue after a landmark court case known as "Schrems II."

Essentially, the European Court of Justice ruled that the U.S. government's surveillance laws don't offer the same level of protection for personal data as GDPR does. Because this data could potentially be accessed by U.S. government agencies, transferring EU citizens' data to the U.S. was deemed non-compliant with GDPR without additional safeguards.

But wait, you might think, "I'm not collecting names or email addresses in GA." Under GDPR, "personal data" is defined very broadly. Google Analytics collects identifiers that can be linked back to an individual, including:

• IP Addresses: While GA4 now anonymizes these, they were a major concern in previous versions.
• Client & User IDs: Unique identifiers stored in cookies that allow GA to recognize a returning visitor.
• Device Information: Data about the user's browser, operating system, and device.

Combined, these data points are enough to fall under GDPR's definition of personal data, making the transatlantic data transfer a real legal headache.

The EU-US Data Privacy Framework: A New Chapter

In July 2023, a new agreement called the EU-US Data Privacy Framework came into effect, aiming to fix the Schrems II issue. This framework provides a new legal basis for transferring personal data from the EU to participating certified U.S. companies, including Google.

So, we're all clear, right? Not so fast. While the new framework is a significant step forward and offers a stronger legal foundation, it isn't a magic wand that makes all GDPR obligations disappear. Privacy advocates are already preparing legal challenges, and regional data protection authorities still expect you to do your due diligence.

The bottom line is that while the immediate risk has been reduced, you still need to be proactive. Relying solely on the new framework without properly configuring your setup is a risky strategy. The best approach is to configure Google Analytics to be as privacy-friendly as possible, minimizing the amount of personal data you collect in the first place.

Configuring Google Analytics 4 for Better GDPR Compliance

Thinking about data privacy from the start is the best way to move forward. Here are the most important settings and practices to implement for your Google Analytics 4 property.

Step 1: Get Valid User Consent (This is Non-Negotiable)

Before any Google Analytics script fires, you must obtain explicit, freely-given consent from your users. This means no pre-checked boxes and no "by using this site, you agree to cookies" banners. Users must actively opt-in.

• Use a Consent Management Platform (CMP): Tools like Cookiebot, OneTrust, or CookieYes make this process much easier. They present users with a proper consent banner and manage their consent status.
• Implement Google Consent Mode v2: This is a key technical requirement. Consent Mode is an API that communicates the user's consent choices (e.g., "analytics cookies granted" or "analytics cookies denied") directly to Google tags. It then dynamically adjusts how those tags behave, ensuring you don't collect data from users who have not opted in. Using a CMP that integrates with Consent Mode is the simplest way to get this set up.

Remember, no consent means no data. It's the most fundamental rule of using tools like GA under GDPR.

Step 2: Minimize Personal Data Collection in GA4

The principle of "data minimization" is a core concept in GDPR. It means you should only collect the data you truly need for a specific purpose. Luckily, GA4 gives you several controls to help with this.

Good News on IP Anonymization In older versions of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics), you had to manually enable IP anonymization. In GA4, this is done automatically by default. GA4 never logs or stores full IP addresses, which is a big improvement.

Turn Off Google Signals Google Signals collects data from users who are signed into their Google accounts and have turned on Ads Personalization. It’s used for features like cross-device reporting and remarketing. While powerful, this is a clear-cut case of collecting additional personal data. For a stricter GDPR setup, it's best to turn it off.

1. Go to your GA4 property's Admin section.
2. Under Data Collection and Modification, click on Data Collection.
3. Find the "Google Signals data collection" section and make sure the toggle is Off.

Turn Off Granular Location and Device Data By default, GA4 collects detailed geographic and device information. You can disable this to further reduce the amount of personal data you're gathering.

1. In the same Data Collection section (Admin > Data Collection), find the "Granular location and device data collection" section.
2. Click the gear icon and ensure the toggles for each region are turned Off.

You'll still get a general idea of location (at the country or city level), but you won't be collecting the most specific GPS data.

Step 3: Control Your Data Retention and Sharing

GDPR also states that you shouldn't keep personal data longer than necessary.

Set a Shorter Data Retention Period By default, GA4 is set to store user-level data (like data linked to a specific user ID) for only 2 months. You have the option to change this to 14 months.

1. Go to Admin.
2. Under Data Collection and Modification, click on Data Retention.
3. In the "Event data retention" dropdown, select 2 months unless you have a very strong, documented business reason to hold onto granular, user-level data for longer. This does not affect most aggregated reports.

Review Your Data Sharing Settings You should also control what data you share back with Google for their own purposes, such as improving their products or providing benchmarking services.

1. In Admin, click on Account Settings.
2. Go to the Data Sharing Settings section.
3. Uncheck all the boxes, particularly "Google products & services" and "Benchmarking." You're not obligated to share this data, and doing so only increases your data footprint.

Beyond Settings: Holistic GDPR Best Practices

Technical settings are crucial, but true compliance involves more than just clicking buttons in the GA4 admin panel.

Update Your Privacy Policy

Transparency is key. Your privacy policy must be clear, easy to understand, and provide users with specific information about your use of Google Analytics, including:

• That you use Google Analytics.
• What data you collect with it and for what purposes (e.g., to understand website engagement).
• How long you retain this data.
• A link to Google's own privacy policy.
• Clear instructions on how users can opt-out or withdraw their consent.

Consider Server-Side Tagging (Advanced)

For businesses with a lower risk tolerance or more technical resources, server-side tagging offers an even greater degree of control. Instead of sending data directly from a user's browser to Google's servers, you send it to a server environment that you control first.

This acts as a proxy, allowing you to inspect, redact, or anonymize data before it's ever sent to Google. For example, you could strip out precise location information or other potentially sensitive parameters. This is a more complex setup, but it’s a powerful way to ensure you’re only sharing the exact data you want with third-party vendors.

What About Privacy-First Google Analytics Alternatives?

It's also worth noting that switching from Google Analytics entirely is an option. If managing compliance feels like too much of a burden, several privacy-focused analytics tools have gained popularity. Platforms such as Fathom, Plausible, and Matomo are built with GDPR and privacy by design as core principles. They typically don't use cookies and collect much less data, simplifying your compliance needs. The trade-off is often a less feature-rich platform, but for many businesses that only need to track core metrics, they can be an excellent choice.

Final Thoughts

Using Google Analytics in a GDPR-compliant way is entirely possible, but it requires a proactive and thoughtful approach. It’s not a "set it and forget it" tool anymore. You must prioritize user consent, be deliberate about minimizing the data you collect using GA4's built-in controls, and remain transparent with your users through a clear and honest privacy policy.

Setting up your data collection in a compliant way is the critical first step, but turning that data into clear, useful insights is the next challenge. To help with this, we built Graphed to connect directly to your marketing tools – including a properly configured Google Analytics 4 – so you can use simple, natural language to instantly build the dashboards and reports you need, without hours of manual spreadsheet work.