Why GDPR Matters for Your Website Analytics

GDPR affects every website that processes visitor data, from small blogs to large analytics platforms. At Pagevista, we built our analytics tool to make this compliance effortless. Here’s why it matters.

Data helps us build better products, but there’s a line between understanding behavior and identifying people. The GDPR draws that line by regulating the processing of personal data and protecting individuals’ fundamental rights. For analytics, that means designing insight without unnecessary identification.

What GDPR Actually Protects (in practice)

GDPR applies when you process personal data; “any information relating to an identified or identifiable person,” including online identifiers like IP addresses or cookies. In some circumstances, IP addresses (even dynamic ones) can be personal data. If your analytics never touches personal data (truly anonymous), GDPR won’t apply to that data. But many setups do handle personal data at least transiently, so you must plan accordingly.

The Other Piece: ePrivacy (Cookies & Similar Tech)

Separately from GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive (implemented in national laws) generally requires consent before storing or accessing information on a user’s device (e.g., most cookies, local storage, certain tracking pixels), unless it’s strictly necessary for providing the service requested by the user. That’s why classic analytics often needs a cookie banner.

Implication: When Consent Banners Aren’t Required

If your analytics doesn’t store or read device information (no cookies/localStorage/fingerprinting) and doesn’t process personal data, consent banners may not be required under ePrivacy for analytics.

Why Data Storage Location Matters

When personal data from EU visitors is stored or processed in the United States, it falls under U.S. surveillance and data disclosure laws, which created a conflict with the high standard of protection required by EU law.

That creates a legal conflict with EU privacy standards, which require equivalent protection to that guaranteed within the EU.

Since 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has twice invalidated transatlantic frameworks (Safe Harbor and Privacy Shield) for this reason.

The current EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (adopted July 2023) restores transfers under certain conditions; but many privacy professionals still prefer EU-only storage to avoid uncertainty and complex legal assessments.

At Pagevista, we chose to host and process all analytics data exclusively within the EU, so our customers don’t need to worry about cross-border transfer obligations.

Where Traditional Analytics Goes Wrong

• Long-lived identifiers (cookies/device IDs)
• Broad data capture (full IPs, granular IDs)
• Routine third-country transfers

That raises compliance workload (DPIAs, cookie consent, transfer assessments), and trust concerns for privacy-sensitive users. (Recent enforcement shows regulators scrutinize transfers and tracking practices.)

A Better Path: Privacy-First Analytics

• Data minimization (collect only what’s needed)
• Aggregation over identification
• No client-side storage access for analytics (where feasible)
• EU-only processing to avoid transfer friction
• Export & transparency features to honor data rights

This is not anti-analytics; it’s analytics that aligns with modern legal and user expectations.

How Pagevista Implements This (Compliance First)

• No cookies or similar storage for analytics; avoids ePrivacy consent for analytics in many jurisdictions when combined with non-personal processing. (Verify per implementation and local guidance.)
• No personal data by default; engineer pipelines so IPs aren’t retained or are irreversibly anonymized before storage; avoid persistent identifiers and fingerprinting. (If any personal data is processed, GDPR applies.)
• EU-only hosting/processing; reduces international transfer obligations.
• Full data export; supports transparency and customer obligations toward their users under GDPR (access/portability when applicable).

Why this matters: You get actionable metrics (sessions, paths, funnels) while minimizing legal overhead and maximizing user trust.

Quick GDPR Checklists

Whether you build analytics tools or just run a website, these short checklists can help you make sure your setup stays privacy-friendly.

Bottom line

• GDPR governs personal data; online identifiers (e.g., IP/cookies) can be personal data.
• ePrivacy consent is about device storage/access (cookies, etc.), separate from GDPR. If your analytics doesn’t access device storage and processes no personal data, consent for analytics is often not required, subject to local guidance.
• EU-only processing simplifies transfers; if you must transfer, use approved mechanisms (DPF/SCCs). The DPF is currently in force and was upheld by the EU General Court in Sept 2025 (still appealable).