What is Cookie-Free Tracking? Examples for Cookie-Free Tracking

Cookie-free tracking

Cookieless tracking collects analytics without browser cookies, using server-side events, first-party identifiers, and modeling to ensure privacy and accuracy.

Why Cookie-Free Tracking Matters

• Privacy regulations

  Laws like GDPR and CCPA impose strict consent and data usage rules, making third-party cookies non-compliant without explicit user permission.

  • Gdpr:

    Defines stringent requirements for user consent, data minimization, and the right to be forgotten within the European Union.

  • Ccpa:

    Grants California residents control over their personal data, including the ability to opt out of data sales and request deletion.

• Browser restrictions

  Modern browsers block or phase out third-party cookies by default, reducing the effectiveness of traditional analytics setups.

  • Third-party cookie blocking:

    Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) and Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) automatically delete or block cookies.

  • Future deprecations:

    Google Chrome plans to phase out third-party cookies, impacting analytics and advertising platforms that rely on them.

How Cookie-Free Tracking Works

• Server-side event processing

  User interactions are sent directly from the browser to a secure server endpoint, bypassing the need for client-side cookie storage.

  • Direct http calls:

    Leverages fetch or XHR requests to post event data to analytics servers.

  • Data aggregation:

    Servers aggregate and anonymize event data before analysis, ensuring user privacy.

• First-party identifiers

  Uses non-cookie identifiers like local storage tokens or hashed IDs to recognize returning users without PII.

  • Local storage tokens:

    Stores a unique identifier in local storage to track sessions across visits.

  • Anonymous identifiers:

    Generates hashed or randomized IDs that do not reveal personal information.

Benefits of Cookie-Free Tracking

• Enhanced user privacy

  Eliminating cookies reduces the risk of cross-site tracking and misuse of personal data.

  • Anonymized data:

    Sensitive user details are removed or hashed before storage, safeguarding identity.

  • No third-party sharing:

    Data remains within first-party servers, preventing external vendors from tracking users.

• Reliable analytics data

  Server-side methods are less affected by ad blockers and browser cookie policies, ensuring a complete dataset.

  • Ad-blocker resilience:

    Since events are sent server-side, they bypass client-side blocking tools.

  • Cross-device continuity:

    Servers can stitch sessions across devices using first-party identifiers.

Implementation Examples

• Plainsignal cookie-free setup

  PlainSignal provides a lightweight, cookieless analytics script that is ready to deploy. To install:

  • Embed script:

    <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
    <script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/PlainSignal-min.js"></script>
    

  • Verify data:

    Check the PlainSignal dashboard to confirm that pageviews and events are being recorded correctly.

• Google analytics 4 configuration

  GA4 can be configured for reduced cookie usage and cookieless data modeling. Basic gtag setup:

  • Basic setup:

    <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX"></script>
    <script>
      window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
      function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
      gtag('js', new Date());
      gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXX', {
        'storage': 'none',
        'anonymize_ip': true
      });
    </script>
    

  • Enable modeling:

    In the GA4 interface, go to Admin > Data Settings > Data Collection, and enable cookieless measurement modeling to fill in gaps.

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