Google is promoting a browser add-on tool designed to block data collection from its own Analytics platform.
“We created Google Analytics to help website owners aggregate and analyze their traffic so they can improve and update their sites,” Will DeVries, a policy counsel for the Mountain View-based company, explained in an official blog post.
“Even though Google Analytics doesn’t reveal personal information, we believe in giving users more choice and control whenever possible. So, our new opt-out [add-on] stops data from being sent from your computer when you visit websites that use Analytics Javascript to track usage.”
However, it remains unclear how many users will actually choose to take advantage of the new add-on.
Indeed, Google spokesperson Brian Richardson told SearchEngineLand he “wasn’t sure” what to expect.
“[Still], it may be helpful to compare [the opt-out] to similar tools that provide users with more power and control over data,” said Richardson.
“For example, with the Ads Preferences Manager, we’ve seen that of the tens of thousands of who people visit the site every week (out of the millions and millions of users), only 1 person our of every 15 opts out, 4 edit their categories and 10 do nothing.”
