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Google analytics is great. It has its issues, but overall 1. They've built a working product that is easy to connect and use 2. It fits to a lot of use cases a
by m1117 6y ago
Google analytics is great. It has its issues, but overall
1. They've built a working product that is easy to connect and use
2. It fits to a lot of use cases and barely has issues
3. Easy to start using, no engineering overhead
4. I don't understand what the author trying to say. Should google be a charity? Or should they stop making good product? Or does the author want to cover the cost of all the other product that is built by google? Google is more broad. They think of all the users, not just corporations.
- seaman1921 6y agoHN brain in a nutshell: big tech == evil
- hansel_der 6y agomonopoly == evil
- m1117 6y agoThere's a lot of alternatives to google analytics that people are free to use, or build their own systems. Corps are a little evil but the consumers are also evil. Everyone is evil.
- Nextgrid 6y agoI don’t think anyone is disputing the greatness of Google Analytics on a functional level. The problem is that indeed Google isn’t a charity and will not give away such a powerful tool for free without getting something in return. That return is the privilege of stalking all your website’s visitors, which are often not aware of the tracking and have no say in the matter. Furthermore it would be against the GDPR if it was actually enforced properly.
- spinningslate 6y agoJust no. Ignore the hyperbole in the article and the crux boils down to this: - Using GA means you're paying for your analytics with your users' privacy. The product is 'good' iff (if and only if) you're willing to accept those economics and ethics. You want analytics; that suggests they has some value to you. You don't want to pay cash money for it. That's your choice. But it's not free. Your users are paying for your analytics with their data. GA is far from a charity. It's a key part of the surveillance machine at the front end of the advertising pipeline. >They think of all the users, not just corporations. Yes. They mine users to sell ads to corporations. If you use GA, you are deciding that you're willing to support that. Google gives you analytics, you give them your users' data. Simple as that.
- m1117 6y agoExactly, paying with data for most people is cheaper than paying with money. I'd say that's a great compromise.
- spinningslate 6y agoand that's perfectly fine when you're deciding to pay with your data for value you're getting. The point with GA is you're paying with other people's data. Without explicitly asking them for permission. (And no, cookie permissions don't count as "asking them for permission").
- charcircuit 6y agoGA gives people the option if they want to enable / disable usage for ad personalization.