splits-io
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glacials
Self-hosted analytics
Many users don't like being tracked by third parties like Google Analytics or Segment. If we self-host analytics with something like Ackee, we can still measure things without needing to involve another platform or the breadcrumb trails they build on users. We'd also probably get higher-quality stats, as popular browser extensions (and now browsers) block those sites pretty often.
You could also check for the Do Not Track setting and disable all stat tracking in those cases. I actually made a polyfill npm package for it a few years back.
Nice! Even with Do Not Track support though, I would want to go self-hosted with analytics. imo DNT as a standard is an atom bomb solution to a relatively simple problem.
I believe the majority of people who block tracking don't have a problem with a website's own servers and platform collecting isolated simple usage data. I'd argue it's like a shopkeeper sitting behind a counter noticing that no customers are finding the batteries.
If you have an account (walk into the store), there's an implicit agreement that the website needs to store some data to support it (the shopkeeper needs their eyeballs to be open). If you don't have an account, the stats are necessarily anonymous because the website doesn't know who you are.
The creepy factor comes in when a third party is trusted to do the data collection, because they're usually good enough at it that they can connect your tracked data for this site with tracked data for other sites they support, and that connection supports their primary business of serving ads or selling data.
That creepiness makes people exercise the only option they have -- Do Not Track or installing an analytics-blocking browser extension. So I believe that us just supporting DNT and sticking with third party analytics will perpetuate the broken system where you either have to allow everything about you to be tracked, or nothing, and I don't want that system because I want to live in a world where I can find the batteries.
Oh yeah, totally understand. Was more suggesting DNT as an additional feature than a replacement. Some people don't like any analytics tracking, even self-hosted, because they're worried the website may eventually decide to sell the data, get bought by a larger company, or even just use it for more customized promoting of the site's paid features. It's the "hey, can you run in and grab me a soda, the owner of that place always tries to start a long conversation with me..." to your analogy haha. I absolutely agree that the vast majority of people likely fall in the group you specified.