Cookie rules and GDPR have long been the subject of attention in Danish companies, and evidence suggests that many are struggling to comply with them. According to a new study published in Finans, more than half of Danish companies are not complying with cookie rules, which compromises both users’ rights and can ultimately result in large fines for companies – and those who do comply inadvertently lose valuable data. This compromise may be one of the reasons why so many are non-compliant.
The cookie issue originates from Danish companies placing cookies from Google and Meta on users’ devices when they visit the companies’ websites. This is against the law, and as a result, companies risk facing large fines. But is it even possible to comply with strict GDPR rules while also tracking user behavior on the website? The answer is yes – this requires a unique solution that considers all parameters without compromising data quality. This is exactly what our self-developed solution Recapture offers.
RECAPTURE MEETS THE STRICTEST GDPR REGULATIONS
Being able to track how users interact with websites is crucial for businesses. However, confusion surrounding the use of Google Analytics has made many companies uncertain about how they can gather information on what customers are buying and which websites they spend the most time visiting.
With Recapture, businesses can use Google Analytics without having to worry about breaking GDPR regulations. The solution is developed based on an interpretation of the French authority CNIL and the Danish Data Protection Agency, which has the strictest rules in this area. In addition, the law firm Gorrissen Federspiel has reviewed Recapture to approve that the solution is legally compliant. In other words, Recapture is fine-tuned to meet the many requirements set by the authorities in Denmark and abroad.
USE GOOGLE ANALYTICS SAFELY WITH RECAPTURE
The strict rules in the field are hard to navigate, so how is it practically possible to track user behavior without violating GDPR rules? Recapture ensures that users who opt out of cookies still provide data on how they interact with the websites. This is all done anonymously, ensuring users are fully protected.
Through a proxy server in the EU, traffic from the website is processed according to GDPR regulations. The data is then sent to the USA where it is further processed in Google Analytics. If a user opts out of cookies, an anonymization process is initiated, so no cookies or local storage are used. If the user consents to cookies, the data is pseudo-anonymized. In this way, Google cannot see any data about the user—only authorized employees of the website owner can access the data using an encryption key.
When data is both anonymized and pseudo-anonymized, it is possible to use Google Analytics and track user behavior while complying with the strict GDPR rules. This ensures that companies do not face a significant data gap for users who opt out of cookies.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Recapture can benefit your business, read more about the solution or contact one of our specialists.
