Google Releases Web Browser Add-on to Block Google Analytics Tracking
Google today announced the availability of a browser add-on to block Google Analytics from tracking your web browsing history. Google Analytics is a popular, free web traffic tracking tool widely used by small and medium business and entrepreneurs. Though the tracking is completely impersonal without any personally identifiable information, Google says it is giving the choice to the web users.
“We take privacy very seriously and we’re committed to providing users with more choice. Though Google Analytics collects information anonymously and in aggregate only, the add-on gives users the choice to opt-out of the Google Analytics Javascript (ga.js) sending information to Google Analytics,” Google spokesman Brian Richardson said in an e-mail to LA Times. “We’re constantly working to both enhance the privacy options for users and provide website owners with valuable data to improve their websites.”
How many people will install and use this add-on is still uncertain. Google’s other tools, such as Ads Preferences Manager and the DoubleClick opt-out plug-in, have not been wildly popular with the web users. Google may be releasing this product in order to the privacy concerns related buzz for the past few weeks.
If you are using Google Analytics as the web traffic tracking tool on your website(s), you need to take the analytics counts with a pinch of salt!
You can download the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on here and try it out.
