Google Analytics is the hottest analytical tool that’s employed by many websites. It tracks the performance of your website and understands the user’s behavior. However the way it collects personal data about any person that visits your website can get you into trouble if it is not CCPA compliant.
In this article, we’ll show you ways to make sure your Google Analytics complies with CCPA. Let’s begin with a quick check of the new regulations.
What is CCPA?
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may be a comprehensive data protection law within us. The law went into effect on January 1, 2020, and it’s enforceable from Dominion Day, 2020. The aim of the CCPA is to reinforce privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California.
It involves more transparency by organizations about what personal information they collect, how they use it, and whom they share it with.
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Some of the rights that residents of California have under CCPA include:
- Right to be told – Users should skills an internet site collects, sells, discloses, and shares their data
- Right to possess Data Deleted – Citizens have the proper get their erased from an internet site
- Right to ascertain What Data – This includes the info collected from a few users within the past 12 months
- Right to Equal Services and Price – Websites aren’t allowed to discriminate against consumers who exercise this right and will tend same price and repair as other consumers
- Right to Opt-Out – People can opt-out from websites selling, renting, or releasing their personal information to 3rd parties
Now, you would possibly be wondering, does the new law apply to your website?
Who must be CCPA Compliant?
CCPA doesn’t apply to everyone (unlike the European data privacy law).
If your business meets the subsequent conditions, then you’ll need to suit the law:
* Your annual gross sales are $25 million or higher
* 50% or more of your annual revenue is from selling consumer’s personal information
* You sell, buy, or receive, personal information of 50,000 or more consumers, households, or devices
So, what happens if you don’t suit CCPA?
You’ll face penalties of up to $7,500 per violation per individual If you’re found to be intentionally violating the law.
Unintentional violators can cough up to $2,00 per violation per individual.
And just in case a user files a lawsuit, fines can range between $100 to $750 per consumer per incident or the particular damage (whichever is greater).
Is Google Analytics CCPA Compliant?
Now that you simply know what’s CCPA and whether it applies to your business or not, the subsequent question you would possibly have is: what does CCPA need to do with Google Analytics?
Google Analytics may be a powerful tool for understanding how people interact together with your website. But it works by assigning your visitors a UserID and records personal data like IP addresses, gender, age, device, and therefore other personally identifiable information. Obviously, that means that it falls under CCPA’s explanation of the consumer’s data.
So, should companies disable Google Analytics for CCPA?
While this might be an extreme measure, without Analytics, you won’t have any data to form decisions and you’ll be just guessing about what works on your website.
That said, you’ll easily make a couple of changes to make sure Google Analytics complies with the wants of CCPA. And here’s how you’ll do it.
How to Make Google Analytics CCPA Compliant?
Are you wondering, how I suit CCPA? Follow these 3 steps to make sure that Google Analytics meets CCPA requirements.
Step 1 Install MonsterInsights and its EU Compliance Addon
MonsterInsights is the best and most trustable WordPress plugin for Google Analytics. By installing the plugin and its EU Compliance addon you’ll fulfill the requirements of the new law.
The EU Compliance addon allows you to automate different processes to satisfy CCPA.
Here’s what you’ll do with the add-on:
* Anonymize the user’s IP address Google Analytics hits
* Disable UserID tracking on Google Analytics
* Disable demographics and interest reports for advertising (Google Ads) and remarketing tracking in Google Analytics
* Automatically disable author tracking Google Analytics and custom dimensions add-on
* Enable ga() compatibility mode
* Allow AMP addon users to accept as true with the Google AMP consent box before tracking their data
* Integration with CookieBot and Cookie Notice WP plugins
To access the addon, attend Insights » Addons » EU Compliance. Once the addon is activated, attend Insights » Settings » Engagement and scroll right down to EU Compliance.
Here you’ll change the settings and disable different tracking features in Google Analytics to suit CCPA.
Step 2: Create an Opt-Out Consent Box
After fixing MonsterInsights and its EU Compliance addon, the subsequent thing you’ll get to do is create an opt-out consent box. That’s because one of the rights of CCPA is that users can opt out of websites sharing their data with third parties.
An easy way of making an opt-out consent box is by using free WordPress plugins like CookieBot or Cookie Notice. Both these plugins offer a built-in choice to find an opt-out consent box and they easily integrate with MonsterInsights also.
For instance, CookieBot scans your site and creates a cookie declaration link that you simply can place on your website. Not only that, but it also creates a Don’t Sell My Personal Information document that you simply can link to make sure you suit CCPA requirements.
Step 3: Update Your Privacy Policy
Besides adding an opt-out consent box, you’ll also get to update your privacy policy. This is often important because, under CCPA, California citizens have the proper to be told.
You can start by informing your visitors that the website uses Google Analytics and also what kind of personal information GA collects about your visitors. You’ll even have to elucidate the aim of the info you collect, how you employ it, and if it’s shared with any third party.
