With this post, I’m removing Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager from my site.
What this means?
- No browser-side tracking for all visitors.
- I have no idea of a posts popularity.
What this doesn’t mean?
- Server-side tracking may happen.
At present, I use Github Pages to host my website. They are a subsidiary of Microsoft. So they can glean some information from page requests but not at the level of Google Analytics or other browser-side features.
Why do This?
I don’t find the tracking information helpful. Sure, I can see what’s popular, but that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m writing blog posts as a creative endeavor and as a process for gathering my thoughts. I also use my blog as a chance to respond to other people.
I also don’t want to unduly add to the ever escalating corporate information gathering. Our browsers and smartphones are a totalitarian regime’s dream come true.
For months, I’ve switched from Chrome to Firefox, and been following aspects of personal privacy that I gleaned from Alex Schroeder’s Firefox Setup) post.
update
Julia Evan’s provides another useful blog post “How tracking pixels work” to understand how pervasive things get.
update
I received an email (thank you dear reader) drawing my attention to a few services that might help disentangle me from Google: Disroot, Framasoft, and Posativ. All for future consideration.
update
At Code4Lib 2020 I learned about Matomo.
What I’m Asking
If you like a post or want to talk about it contact me. Yes, those emails are going through Google. That migration is for another day.