Data has almost become a dirty word. Statistics, telemetry, measuring, tracking and knowing. Yet it's a little different. There is nothing wrong with it, provided you don't throw norms and values overboard and work ethically. Indeed, it is essential to gain important insights. It is allowed and it can be done. But where did it go wrong?
Because of privacy violations with adverse consequences, many people, myself included, have become allergic to tracking and profiling. Which is justified. The problem lies in the fact that big data companies store everything they can find about you. They build complete profiles about people and keep them forever. Not just through their own website, but through lots of different websites that join these data collectors.
Data as a revenue model
All those profiles are used to make even more money. Based on your profile, they try to put an ad on your screen on all the other websites you view. That ad should match what you are thinking about at that moment. And that's just the beginning. Tracking, profiling and endless data retention has gone much further in the last 10 years. And that's not right.
Profiling people is not right, to say the least. Keeping thick files of where they have been and what they were doing there, in a network of millions of websites, is morally wrong. Increasingly, such practices are also prohibited by law.
So measurement is okay?
There is considerable reputational damage among the general public when it comes to measurement. Yet the problem is not in measuring and knowing. The problem is in the privacy violations, scale and purpose of the big data-hungry parties.
But what if, as a website owner, you just don't do that? Yes, it's that easy. Foundation Telemetry provides valuable insights without violating visitors' privacy and rights.
It measures only on your own website and you don't share this data with anyone else. By focusing on the really important metrics, i.e. measurement data, you have exactly the insights you need to further refine and improve your web presence.
From insights into live traffic to historical page views and from country origin to referring website, all the statistics are there. Not only is it compliant with all laws, it is also privacy friendly by nature. With no disadvantages for your visitors.
Back to the roots
The global tracking and advertising market is changing fast and much. Legislation and technology are increasingly protecting people on the Internet. So things are moving in the right direction. As with some other issues in society, it is time to let go of the unrestrained scale. You hardly had any benefits from this anyway. Therefore, focus qualitatively on your own community, globally. With responsible, modern measurement.
Are you already using Foundation? Then you don't have to do anything. Foundation Telemetry is a free addition that you can use immediately. This gives you everything you need to drive your business, while your visitors maintain their privacy and rights.