Press Releases Archives - Analytics Platform - Matomo https://matomo.org/blog/category/press-release/ Fri, 10 May 2024 00:55:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://matomo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cropped-DefaultIcon-32x32.png Press Releases Archives - Analytics Platform - Matomo https://matomo.org/blog/category/press-release/ 32 32 Leading Google Analytics alternative, Matomo, parodies Christopher Nolan blockbuster ahead of the UA sunset https://matomo.org/blog/2023/07/leading-google-analytics-alternative-matomo-parodies-christopher-nolan-blockbuster-ahead-of-the-ua-sunset/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 04:52:50 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=67818 Read More

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Wellington, New Zealand, 4 July 2023: In the world of online data, Google Analytics has long reigned supreme. Its dominance has been unquestioned, leaving website owners with little choice but to rely on the tech giant for their data insights. However, a new dawn in web analytics is upon us, and Matomo, the leading alternative to Google Analytics, is seizing a unique opportunity to position itself as the go-to provider. In a bold move, Matomo has launched a parody trailer, “Googleheimer,” humorously taking a satirical swipe at Google in the style of the upcoming Oppenheimer biopic by Christopher Nolan.

Capitalising on a time-bound decision

With an important decision looming for marketers and web specialists who need to switch analytics providers by July 1st, Matomo has found the perfect window to capture their attention.

The urgency of the situation, combined with the high intent to switch providers, sets the stage for Matomo to establish itself as the leading alternative analytics platform of choice.

Matomo’s parody trailer addresses the frustrations of GA4 head-on by highlighting the issues and the uncertainties caused by the sunset of Universal Analytics in humorous satire with lines such as:

“But we’re keeping everyone’s data, right? Right?? …RIGHT?!”

Riding on the coat tails of this summer’s anticipated blockbuster from Christopher Nolan, Matomo openly points at the downsides of GA4, and reflects many frustrated marketers pain points in an entertaining way. Beneath the comedic and satirical tone lies the message that users have choices, and no longer need to surrender to the behemoth incumbent.

Matomo was founded to challenge the status quo and provide a solution for those who believe in privacy and in ethical analytics, and who prefer that their customer data not be concentrated in the hands of just a few corporations.

Watch the full trailer here. 


About Matomo

Matomo is a world-leading open-source privacy-friendly ethical web analytics platform, trusted by over 1.4 million websites in 190 countries and translated into over 50 languages. Matomo helps businesses and organisations track and optimise their online presence allowing users to easily collect, analyse, and act on their website and marketing data to gain a deeper understanding of their visitors and drive conversions and revenue. Matomo’s vision is to create, as a community, the leading open digital analytics platform that gives every user complete control of their data.

Visit matomo.org for more information.




More on Google Analytics changes



A new dawn in web analytics is upon us, and Matomo – the leading alternative to Google Analytics – is here for it. After 20 years, Google is blowing up Universal Analytics (or GA3) – and taking your data with it. Inspired by Christopher Nolan’s upcoming biopic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the making of his atomic bomb (also known as “The Manhattan Project”), this parody trailer openly points to Google and draws the comparison in humorous satire. GA4 comes with a new set of metrics, setups and reports that change how you analyse your data.

]]> Matomo maker InnoCraft named 2023 Hi-Tech Awards finalist https://matomo.org/blog/2023/04/matomo-maker-innocraft-named-2023-hi-tech-awards-finalist/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 03:36:13 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=63481 Read More

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WELLINGTON, N.Z., April 20, 2023 – InnoCraft, the makers of world-leading open-source web analytics platform Matomo, has been named an ASX Hi-Tech Emerging Company of the Year finalist in the 2023 Hi-Tech Awards. 



Matomo founder Matthieu Aubry says, “At Matomo, we believe in empowering individuals and organizations to make informed decisions about their digital presence. By providing an open-source website analytics platform, we have created a more transparent and trustworthy digital ecosystem. We are proud to be recognised as a finalist for the Hi-Tech Awards, and we will continue to work towards a more open and ethical digital landscape, and grow the business in New Zealand and worldwide.”



About Matomo

Matomo, launched in 2007 as an open-source, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative, is trusted by over 1.5 million websites in 220 countries and has been translated in over 50 languages. Matomo tracks and analyses online visits and traffic to give users a deeper understanding of their website visitors to drive conversions and revenue; while keeping businesses compliant with privacy laws worldwide, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Aubry says Matomo is performing extremely well internationally as consumers and organizations look for privacy-focused analytics solutions, with several European countries already ruling the use of Google Analytics illegal due to data transfers to the US. In addition, Matomo’s user increase was recognized earlier this year with W3Tech’s award for the best web analytics software in its Web Technologies of the Year 2022 – with previous winners including Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.



A record number of companies entered the 2023 Hi-Tech Awards, with entries coming in from across the country and from all areas of the Hi-Tech sector. This depth is reflected in the line-up of finalists this year, according to David Downs, Chair of the Hi-Tech Trust, who says the standard of entries continue to grow every year.

”

The hi-tech sector continues to flourish and it’s fantastic to see the success that so many of our companies enjoy on the international stage. This sector continues to prove its resilience and is at the forefront of our export economy in turbulent times,” says Downs.



The Hi-Tech Awards Gala Dinner will take place on Friday, the 23rd of June, in Christchurch. 


 

]]> Matomo’s privacy-friendly web analytics software named best of the year 2022 https://matomo.org/blog/2023/01/matomo-privacy-friendly-web-analytics-software-named-best-of-the-year-2022/ Wed, 25 Jan 2023 02:37:16 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=60971 Read More

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W3Tech names Matomo ‘Traffic Analysis Tool of the Year 2022’ in its Web Technologies of the Year list of technologies that gained the most sites

Matomo, a world-leading open-source web analytics platform, is proud to announce that it has received W3Tech’s award for the best web analytics software in its Web Technologies of the Year 2022. Matomo is the first independent, open-source tool named Traffic Analysis Tool of the Year – with previous winners including Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.


W3Tech, a trusted source for web technology research, determines winners for its annual Web Technologies of the Year list by technologies that gained the most websites. W3Tech surveys usage across millions of websites globally – comparing the number of sites using a technology on January 1st of one year with the number of sites using it the following year.

W3Tech commenting on the Traffic Analysis Tool winners, said: “Matomo, the privacy-focused open source analytics platform, is the traffic analysis tool of the year for the first time, while Google Analytics and the other previous winners all lost a bit of market share in 2022. The Chinese Baidu Analytics ranks second this year. Snowplow, another open source tool, is an unexpected third.”


Matomo launched in 2007 as an open-source analytics alternative to Google Analytics, keeps businesses GDPR and CCPA-compliant. Matomo is trusted by over 1.4 million websites in 220 countries and is translated into over 50 languages.


Matomo founder Matthieu Aubry says, “As the first independent, open-source traffic analysis tool to receive this recognition, Matomo is humbled and honoured to lead the charge for change. It’s a testament to the hard work of our community, and it’s a clear sign that consumers and organisations are looking for ethical alternatives.


“This recognition is a major win for the entire privacy movement and proves that the tide is turning against the big tech players who I believe have long prioritised profits over privacy. We are committed to continuing our work towards a more private and secure digital landscape for all.”


In W3Tech’s Web Technologies of the Year 2022, Matomo was also judged third Tag Manager, behind Google Tag Manager and Adobe DTM.


Matomo helps businesses and organisations track and optimise their online presence allowing users to easily collect, analyse, and act on their website and marketing data to gain a deeper understanding of their visitors and drive conversions and revenue. With 100% data ownership, customers using the company’s tools get the power to protect their website user’s privacy – and where their data is stored and what’s happening to it, without external influence. Furthermore, as the data is not sampled, it maintains data accuracy. 


Aubry says its recent award is a positive reminder of how well this solution is performing internationally and is a testament to the exceptional quality and performance of Matomo’s powerful web analytics tools that respect a user’s privacy.


“In 2020, the CJEU ruled US cloud servers don’t comply with GDPR. Then in 2022, the Austrian Data Protection Authority and French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) ruled that the use of Google Analytics is illegal due to data transfers to the US. With Matomo Cloud, the customer’s data is stored in Europe, and no data is transferred to the US. On the other hand, with Matomo On-Premise, the data is stored in your country of choice.


“Matomo has also become one of the most popular open-source alternatives to Google Analytics for website owners and marketing teams because it empowers web professionals to make business decisions. Website investment, collateral, and arrangement are enriched by having the full picture and control of the data.”

Image of a laptop surrounded by multiple data screens from matomo

About Matomo

Matomo is a world-leading open-source web analytics platform, trusted by over 1.4 million websites in 220 countries and translated into over 50 languages. Matomo helps businesses and organisations track and optimise their online presence allowing users to easily collect, analyse, and act on their website and marketing data to gain a deeper understanding of their visitors and drive conversions and revenue. Matomo’s vision is to create, as a community, the leading open digital analytics platform that gives every user complete control of their data.

For more information/ press enquiries Press – Matomo

]]> Matomo Further Invests in Security by Doubling Bug Bounty Rewards https://matomo.org/blog/2022/01/security-bug-bounty-update/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 03:27:56 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=47520 Read More

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Matomo is the leading open-source analytics solution free from data limitations. 

As our mission states, we aim to create, as a community, the leading open digital analytics platform that gives every user full control of their data. 

To do this, we operate a Security Bug Bounty Programme. This programme is designed to reward the hard work of skilled security researchers who sacrifice their time and energy to find and report security and vulnerabilities. 

To continue our investment in security, privacy and transparency, we are increasing the security bug bounty reward to as much as $10,000 USD. This is an increase of 100% from our previous 2020 bug bounty announcement.

How much can I earn for reporting security bugs?

Reward amounts vary depending on the impact:

  • Low issues receive $222
  • Medium issues receive $555
  • High issues receive $1,000
  • Critical issues receive $10,000

How can I take part? 

As of January 2022, global independent security researchers have identified and suggested 138 security related improvements. If you are interested in joining this growing community, head to our Security Bug Bounty Programme to find out how you can take part. 

We thank you for keeping Matomo safe for our users and theirs.

About Matomo

Matomo is the leading open-source analytics solution free from data limitations. Make more informed decisions and enhance your customer experience while ensuring data privacy and ownership. Matomo is the trusted solution for over 1.5 million websites globally. Take back control of your data ownership and challenge the status quo.

]]> Piwik Analytics becomes Matomo to reflect Users’ Privacy Focus https://matomo.org/blog/2018/01/piwik-analytics-becomes-matomo-to-reflect-users-privacy-focus/ Wed, 10 Jan 2018 19:42:26 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=25859 Read More

]]> One of the world’s leading analytics software platforms is changing its name. Piwik is the sixth most-used web and mobile analytics computer solution worldwide. It is now changing its name to Matomo.

The name change comes after 10 years of Piwik building its top analytics software, with great success. It is already used on over one million websites in more than 170 countries. Matomo will build on that success, and focus even more on privacy.

‘Privacy has become a huge concern worldwide’, says Matomo’s creator, Matthieu Aubry. ‘Privacy legislation is being developed in Europe, and we will be ahead of the game in being ready for those changes. We’ll grow in line with the law and regulation changes.’

Matomo will lead the way in openness and transparency for its users. Its new name means decent in Japanese.
‘Matomo will always be free and community-driven, just as Piwik was’, says Matthieu Aubry. ‘We have worked with hundreds of people to create the best open digital analytics solution in the world. We’re committed to giving every user full control of their data.’

The change of name is appropriate as the Matomo platform moves into a new stage of growth. But for its community, little will obviously change. The same people will still be involved, and users will still get useful data to improve their own website. That data includes who visits their site, what they do there, how long they stay, and what they buy.
Matomo is an all-in-one analytics solution that gives companies a 360 degree view of their users.

‘They can grow their business while still keeping 100% ownership of their data, and being fully compliant with privacy laws’, says Matthieu Aubry. ‘We’re more motivated than ever to building on that, so that Matomo stays ahead of the pack.’

The platform can be fully customised with hundreds of plug-ins, integrations and configurations.

Matomo’s updated website and new logo is now available on https://matomo.org.
For further information, please contact the Matomo Team on hello@matomo.org

]]> A/B Testing Platform for Matomo Analytics https://matomo.org/blog/2016/11/ab-testing-platform-piwik-analytics/ Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:29:00 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=22666 Read More

]]> We are very excited to launch A/B Testing – a powerful new product designed to help you maximise your success and increase your conversions.

What is A/B Testing and why is it so important?

Experimenting with A/B Testing is an important marketing strategy that goes a long way in maximising your conversions.

With A/B Testing you can start improving your conversions and sales in your existing website or app by creating different versions of a web page or mobile app screen to find out how to modify your website to optimize business success.

How does A/B Testing work?

To explain how A/B Testing works, let’s take an example. Imagine one of your most important landing pages has been redesigned to hopefully get more email signups. Now you need to make sure the new version is “better” than the current version, or at least does result in less conversions. To compare the performance of these two versions, you can then run an A/B test whereby the A/B testing product tells you whether the redesigned version is producing more email signups compared to the original version.

How it works is that visitors on your website during the experiment will see a randomly chosen version (variation) and A/B Testing makes sure that your users will always see the same variation for all subsequent visits. The behaviour and goals converted by each user is measured continuously by Matomo (Piwik) A/B Testing. The beautifully designed and easy to use dashboard shows how each variation impacts your success metrics such as conversions, sales or page views.

When the A/B test is complete, you will then know which is the winning version getting you closer to reaching your goals! A/B Testing includes an advanced statistical analysis engine to provide a reliable indicator of which of your versions is actually improving your bottom line.

Examples of successful A/B tests

Below are a just a few interesting A/B tests results from the article 7 Dead-Simple A/B Tests You Should Run on Your Homepage (HubSpot).

Increase click on CTA button by 21%

We actually conducted an A/B test on button color and found that changing the CTA button from green to red increased clicks by 21%. In the world of website optimization, that’s huge!

47.7% more clicks on the navigation bar

An A/B test comparing the phrases used on the navigation bar discovered that the menu link “How It Works” earned 47.7% more clicks than “Why Use Us.”

5% more conversions using a different image

Highrise, a small business CRM, A/B tested their website’s imagery by featuring two different people – Jocelyn on the left, and Michael on the right. They found Michael helped improve conversions by almost 5%.

Changing the headline to increase conversions by 38%

WhichTestWon ran an A/B test on AwayFind’s homepage and found that Version B increased signups by 38%. This could be because the headline is more concise and the subheader includes bolded words to clearly communicate the product’s value

Where do I start testing?

Your testing strategy is tied to your overall business strategy. What do you want people to achieve on your website? What are the goals that you want your users to convert? What are your one or two Key Performance Indicators, and what are your targets for these KPIs?

When you start thinking of improving your targets you can begin by looking at the most important parts that can be improved:

  • What are your call to actions?
  • Which are your most popular pages, and landing pages?
  • What elements of my website is above the fold and can be seen by all visitors within a few seconds?

How do I get A/B Testing?

All premium plugins come with our 14 day money back guarantee and 1-click installation & updates. Customers get all product updates for free.

A/B Testing is available for purchase and download on the Marketplace.

If you are not using Matomo yet, you can also signup for a free trial of Matomo Cloud (formerly Piwik Cloud) (including A/B Testing!).

Have a question about this product? Get in touch.

]]> Powerful Video Analytics and Audio Analytics for Matomo https://matomo.org/blog/2016/11/powerful-video-analytics-audio-analytics-piwik/ Thu, 10 Nov 2016 02:48:01 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=22646 Read More

]]> Over the years, one of the most frequently requested feature by users was to be able to measure how videos and audios are watched and engaged with on your website. We are finally able to announce that it is here! We are very excited to launch Media Analytics, which will help you understand and grow your audience.

This article is a showcase of the new powerful video and audio analytics product built for Matomo (Piwik).

Why media analytics?

We all love media content such as videos as they can make our experiences on websites and apps so much more interesting. A growing number of websites now utilize media files in one form or another: a video presentation of a product or service, a video tutorial teaching you how to do something or interviews with key speakers. Also many creators and distributors are publishing audio files such as podcasts or music songs, and even broadcasting live video events such as music concerts or an entire conference online.

Whenever you publish videos or audio media on your websites or applications, Media Analytics provides you with clear insights on how your audience interacts with your content. It helps you see what content works and why – so you can better understand and further grow your business!

Valuable insights in Real time

See where your audience comes from.

How will Media Analytics help me grow?

  • Better understand your audience: who are the users playing videos and for how long, how often, and where have they dropped off.
  • Gain quick insights into how interaction with your media changes over time with easy to use graphs and report overviews.
  • Get closer to your users by seeing every action of your visitors before and after they utilized your media.
  • View valuable insights in Real time: ‘most popular content right now’, your real time audience map, and more.
  • See where your audience comes from. Drill down right from continents to specifics such as cities.
  • Share and export media analytics reports with your colleagues by creating custom email reports.
  • Video and audio players are supported either automatically (for Youtube, Vimeo, HTML5…) or via a simple custom player integration.
  • No data limit and 100% privacy and data ownership.

Best of all, it is easy to use and understand, and integrates perfectly with Matomo. Media Analytics complements other reports to give you a 360 degree view of how your users engage with your content.

Learn more on the official website: www.media-analytics.net

How do I get Media Analytics?

All premium plugins come with our 14 day money back guarantee and 1-click installation & updates. Customers get all product updates for free.

Media Analytics is available for purchase and download on the Marketplace.

If you are not using Matomo yet, you can also signup for a free trial of Matomo Cloud (formerly Piwik Cloud) (including Media Analytics!).

Have a question about this product? Get in touch.

]]> Premium Plugins now available on the Matomo Analytics Marketplace https://matomo.org/blog/2016/11/premium-plugins-now-available-marketplace/ Wed, 02 Nov 2016 01:59:14 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=22615 Read More

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We are super excited to announce the launch of three new premium plugins which are now available on the Matomo Marketplace: A/B Testing, Media Analytics, and Activity Log.

All three plugins are easy to use and come with 100% data ownership, documentation, integration with Matomo, powerful data exports and no data limits.

These first premium plugins and the new Marketplace capabilities have been designed and built with love by InnoCraft – the new company brought to you by the makers of Matomo.

1. A/B Testing

A/B Testing helps you grow your business by comparing different versions of your website or app to detect the most successful version that increases your sales, revenue, conversions, pageviews, and more.

A/B tests are also known as experiments or split tests. In an A/B test you show two or more different variations to your users (visitors) and the variation that performs better wins. When a user enters the experiment, a variation will be randomly chosen and the user will see this variation for all subsequent visits. Matomo A/B testing uses advanced statistical analysis to detect which variation performs better for your conversion goals and success metrics. Even small tests can increase your sales and conversions massively!

Learn more here:

2. Media Analytics

Do you have videos or audio on your website, or in an app? Media Analytics gives you powerful insights into how your audience watches your videos and listens to your audio, to ultimately maximize your success.

Learn all about your audience. Which media your users are playing, for how long, how often, and where they dropped off? Where are your users located around the world? Who your audience are and what did people do before and after watching a video or listening to audio? Many of the reports are also available in Real time, so you can gain insights and react quickly.

Learn more here:

3. Activity log

Keep an eye on everything that is happening on your Matomo platform with the Activity Log plugin.

The activity log, also known as audit log or audit trail, improves your Matomo’s security and diagnostic by showing a chronological set of entries that provides documentary evidence of activities that happened in your Matomo. It allows Matomo Super Users to quickly review the actions performed by members of your organization or clients, and also lets every user review details of their own actions.

Learn more in the Activity Log FAQ or see a list of all the features on the Marketplace: Activity Log plugin.

The Matomo Marketplace guarantees

Purchasing on the Matomo Marketplace is easy and safe. Check out our guarantees:

Why premium plugins?

Researching, building, documenting, testing and maintaining quality products take years of experience and months of work. When you purchase a premium plugin from the Marketplace, you get a fully working product, with free updates for the duration of the license and you stay in full control of your analytics data. When purchasing premium plugins you also directly help the Matomo core engineers to continue to grow and innovate! That’s because a % of earnings on premium plugin license sales directly fund new Matomo versions and more amazing features. Learn more in the FAQ: What are premium plugins?.

About InnoCraft

These first three premium plugins have been designed and built with love by InnoCraft. InnoCraft is a new company founded by the creator of Matomo along with the lead engineers of Matomo based in Wellington, New Zealand. At InnoCraft, product experts, designers and engineers are passionate about crafting high quality and innovative products to help grow your business and to maximize your success.

Learn more on the company website: www.innocraft.com

To stay updated on their releases, follow InnoCraftHQ on Twitter or Like InnoCraft on Facebook.

Resources

Learn more:

We are looking forward to your continued support with the Matomo project as we expand and offer you more ways to maximize your success.

Please contact the Marketplace team with any questions or feedback.

Wishing you a warm: Happy Analytics!

]]> French CNIL recommends Matomo: the only analytics tool that does not require Cookie Consent https://matomo.org/blog/2014/10/cnil-recommends-piwik-analytics-tool-no-cookie-consent/ Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:25:43 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=19163 Read More

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There has been recent and important changes in France regarding data privacy and the use of cookies. This blog post will introduce you to these changes and explain how you make your website compliant.

Read the latest related update (Oct 2021): Matomo exempt from tracking consent in France

Cookie Consent in the data freedom law

Since the adoption of the EU Directive 2009/136/EC “Telecom Package”, Internet users must be informed and provide their prior consent to the storage of cookies on their computer. The use of cookies for advertising, analytics and social share buttons require the user’s consent:

It is necessary to inform users of the presence, purpose and duration of the cookies placed in their browsers, and the means at their disposal to oppose it.

What is a cookie?

Cookies are tracers placed on Internet users’ hard drives by the web hosts of the visited website. They allow the website to identify a single user across multiple visits with a unique identifier. Cookies may be used for various purposes: building up a shopping cart, storing a website’s language settings, or targeting advertising by monitoring the user’s web-browsing.

Which cookies are exempt from the Cookie Consent rule?

France has exempted certain cookies from the cookie consent rule: for those cookies that are strictly necessary to offer the service sought after by the user you do not need to ask consent to user. Examples of such cookies are:

  • the shopping cart cookie,
  • authentication cookies,
  • short lived session cookies,
  • load balancer cookies,
  • certain first party analytics (such as Matomo (Piwik) cookies),
  • persistent cookies for interface personalisation.

Asking users for consent for Analytics (tracking) Cookies

For all cookies that are not exempted from the Cookie Consent then you will need to:

  • obtain consent from web users before placing or reading cookies and similar technologies,
  • clearly inform web users of the different purposes for which the cookies and similar technologies will be used,
  • propose a real choice to web users between accepting or refusing cookies and similar technologies.

You don’t need Cookie Consent with Matomo

The excellent news is that there is a way to bypass the Cookie Consent banner on your website:

If you are using another analytics solution other than Matomo then you will need to ask users for consent. If you do not want to ask for consent then download and install Matomo or signup to a service offering Matomo hosted in the Cloud to get started.

If you are already using Matomo you need to do two simple things: (1) anonymise visitor IP addresses (at least two bytes) and (2) include the opt-out iframe solution in your website (learn more).

Note that these recommendations currently only apply in France, but because the law is European we can expect similar findings in other European countries.

CNIL recommends Matomo

We are proud that the CNIL has identified Matomo as the only tool that respects all privacy requirements set by the European Telecom law.

About the CNIL

The CNIL is an independent administrative body that operates in accordance with the French data protection legislation. The CNIL has been entrusted with the general duty to inform people of the rights that the data protection legislation allows them.

The role and responsabilities of the CNIL are:

  • to protect citizens and their data
  • to regulate and control processing of personal data
  • to inspect the security of data processing systems and applications, and impose penalties

Matomo and Privacy

At Matomo we love Privacy – our open analytics platform comes with built-in Privacy.

Future of Privacy at Matomo

Matomo is already the leader when it comes to respecting user privacy but we plan to continue improving privacy within the open analytics platform. For more information and specific ideas see Privacy enhancing issues in our issue tracker.

References

Learn more in these articles in French [fr] or English:

Contact

To learn more about Matomo, please visit piwik.org,

Get in touch with the Matomo team: Contact information,

For professional support contact Professional Support for Matomo .

]]> Why is Privacy important? https://matomo.org/blog/2014/01/data-privacy-day-january-28th/ Tue, 28 Jan 2014 03:49:11 +0000 https://matomo.org/?p=17003 Read More

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If you’re wondering why privacy is important, consider this: Around 70% of online users have taken active steps to protect their identity online. These measures include changing the privacy settings on their devices and using VPN services.

At Matomo, we understand the importance of data privacy, which is why we’ve celebrated Data Privacy Day (also known as Data Protection Day in the EU) every 28th of January since 2007. If you don’t understand why data privacy is important, this article will help. It covers everything you need to know about the importance of data privacy, what data companies collect about you and how to protect it.

Table of contents

What is data privacy?

Data privacy refers to one’s right to determine how companies collect and handle their personal data. Users also get a say in whether companies share their information with third parties and the right to be notified if it happens.

It differs from data security in that the latter deals with protecting data from unauthorised access, loss, corruption and theft.

Why is privacy important?

The top reasons why you should pay attention to data privacy

Privacy is the ability to control who can access information about our private life and our activities.

Here’s why data privacy is important to individuals and businesses.

1. Prevents identity theft

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 1.1 million reports of identity theft in 2022. Identity thieves use personal information to impersonate a user and carry out fraud in their name, earning millions of dollars; data privacy approaches this security issue proactively by limiting the amount of sensitive data companies collect.

The less personal information you have out there, the less risk you face of fraudsters accessing and exploiting it to impersonate you.

2. Reduces the impact of breaches

This ties into the previous point but looks at broader risks internet users face when their sensitive information falls into the wrong hands following a personal data breach. Aside from identity theft, there’s also the risk of ransomware, which poses a real threat to individuals just as much as it does to enterprises.

By minimising the amount of sensitive information you provide to companies, data privacy practices ensure there’s less personal info that gets leaked in a potential data breach.

3. Facilitates regulatory compliance

Some of the most well-known data privacy laws in effect today include the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

A business owner who implements strong protection policies has an easier time complying with data privacy regulations and standards. They enjoy business continuity because they don’t need to grind everything to a halt and overhaul their operations in preparation.

4. Supports consumer protection

Data privacy enforces consumer protection by safeguarding users against unfavourable business practices, such as companies selling data to third parties that target them with unwanted marketing.

By giving users the ability to opt out of sharing and giving them the right to be notified when a third party is involved, they’re better equipped to counter activities that would disadvantage them but profit the company.

5. Helps realise full human rights

By limiting how much personal information you give away and obscuring your online activity, you make it harder for entities to identify and target you. In places with repressive governments, online privacy goes a long way towards promoting free speech, one of the core human rights in constitutions across the world.

In addition to this, privacy is vital for individuals due to several other reasons:

  • Privacy gives us the power to choose our thoughts and feelings and who we share them with.
  • Privacy protects our information we do not want shared publicly (such as health or personal finances).
  • Privacy helps protect our physical safety (if our real time location data is private).
  • Privacy helps protect us as individuals, and our businesses, against entities we depend on or that are more powerful than us.
  • Privacy is tied to Freedom…. Could we really be free – and have free will – without Privacy?

What data is being collected about me?

Examples of data that companies collect about users online

Many of our activities leave a trail of data. This includes phone records, credit card transactions, GPS in cars tracking our positions, mobile phones (with or without GPS), and the list is growing. Online, almost all activities leave a trail of data which service providers will collect, such as instant messaging, browsing websites or watching videos.

Some of the data that companies collect about you include your:

  • Names
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Email addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Employment information
  • Locations
  • Browsing history

Companies may also collect social security numbers, device and advertising IDs, and credit information.

Some of this data is necessary for providing a positive user experience, but it becomes particularly problematic when your data is shared with big tech companies who use it for advertising purposes to profit off of you. They do this by building your digital advertising profile which is based on sites you have visited, searches you have completed, etc.

Even if you don’t use Facebook, Google for search or Chrome as your browser, there’s still a high probability that these big tech companies are tracking you. Moreover, even the “trustworthy” companies aren’t above breaching data privacy laws, as is the case with Google Analytics’ recently uncovered GDPR breaches.

For this reason, you should consider a partner like Matomo over Google Analytics, where you don’t have to choose between respecting your users’ privacy and getting results for your business.

Can we still maintain privacy?

Thankfully privacy is not dead (yet) but it is under threat. Some entities such as the NSA have made it clear that their goal is the end of privacy, worldwide. Without privacy, we will become easily controlled, manipulated and feel a loss of control over ourselves and our personal lives.

However, the good news is that now more than ever, many businesses, technologists, activists and others are hard at work to improve and maintain our privacy.

You can also take privacy into your own hands! Use a tool like Blacklight to check for privacy-threatening technology. If you see that a website is using something like (the, frankly, problematic) Google Analytics, kindly reach out to the company to ask that they consider using a privacy-friendly and ethical alternative.

We have drafted an email below that you can copy, paste and send to the company to help protect your privacy and do your part in creating a better internet.

				
					Subject: Concerns regarding [business name] using [technology]
				
			
				
					Body:

To whom it may concern,

I am disappointed to see that you use [technology / “Google Analytics”] to track your website visitors, as this is a tool that uses data in unethical ways and threatens [business name]’s reputation. 

I care deeply about my right to privacy and can not support a company that uses a tool that shares data with big technology companies like [technology company / “Google”]. 

I ask that you reconsider the technology you use to track your visitors and look for a privacy-friendly [technology alternative / “Google Analytics alternative”] that gives you 100% data ownership, with no external parties looking in. 

Kind regards,
[insert your name]

If you’re excited about the possibility of taking charge of your privacy, we have more recommendations below.

How do I protect my privacy?

How to maintain your data privacy online with Matomo

Here are some ways to protect your privacy online.

1. Use privacy tools

Start by adopting tools designed specifically to address online privacy concerns, like VPNs and password managers.

This is also a good opportunity to start looking into alternatives to online services from companies that don’t put your privacy first. For instance, if you’re looking to move away from Google, you could use Matomo over Google Analytics, ProtonMail over Gmail and Mozilla Firefox over Chrome.

2. Limit the information you share

Be careful not to share any sensitive information, especially on public platforms like social media.

Apply this to any information that can identify you, starting from something as seemingly innocuous as your name. In most places online, you don’t need to use your real name and can simply use a pseudonym.

Even in an official setting, you can get away with not using your full name to present yourself publicly — consider going by your initials or just one name.

3. Stay safe online

Avoid public networks as much as possible, even if they’re in a place like a coffee shop that seems trustworthy. If you’re outside your own home, use mobile data and avoid unsecured HTTP connections on the websites you visit.

When browsing, use a reliable, independently audited VPN to make your traffic anonymous to others, including your internet service provider. Set up multi-factor authentication for your accounts for an extra layer of security.

4. Control access to your data

Avoid leaving your data in a position where it can fall into the wrong hands as a result of your own error. Wipe devices when selling them or if you plan on no longer using them, even if it’s only temporary. Look up the steps to factory reset the device if you’re not sure how to do this.

You should also always log out of accounts on shared devices to keep your credentials from being compromised, especially your email.

5. Know your rights

Find out what data privacy laws apply in your area and familiarise yourself with them. Look into what privacy rights they give you as a user and what limitations businesses have regarding your data.

6. Read the fine print

Before signing up for a service, go through their privacy policy with a fine-tooth comb so you know what you’re getting into. Even if you’ve already signed up for something, you should read these terms to determine whether or not you’re staying.

7. Ask questions

If you see terms of use that look suspicious while reviewing a privacy policy, contact the team and request an explanation. If you can’t get a straightforward answer, it might be time to take action.

How does Matomo protect my privacy?

Matomo is the leading open-source web analytics solution that respects data privacy and data ownership. It is an open-source platform built by an international team of volunteers and is used on more than 1 million websites worldwide.

Matomo data anonymity feature

When you use Matomo on your own infrastructure, you control everything. All data collected is stored only within your own database, and no other business (or Matomo team member) can access any of this information. The source code of the software is open- source and  is constantly reviewed by a global community of independent security researchers to ensure it is secure and keeps your data private.

An interesting example from Germany of how they take their privacy seriously: Berlin court rules Google privacy policy violates data protection law. For French websites, the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL), has confirmed that Matomo can now be used to collect data without tracking consent. 

When you use Matomo to track your users, you are in full control of your own data. Try Matomo for free today and take ownership of your data and users’ privacy. 

How Matomo protects the privacy of your users and customers

As well as keeping your data private and protecting your privacy (as a webmaster), Matomo helps to ensure the privacy of your website visitors and mobile app users. From the time we created Matomo, we have strived to build advanced privacy protections in Matomo:

These privacy features, along with the open and decentraliszed nature of Matomo, mean that your users’ privacy is ensured and respected.

Conclusion

Privacy is important to ensure our freedom as individuals. Respecting privacy is critically important for businesses dealing with sensitive customer data.

Matomo provides you with an open platform for your website and mobile apps analytics. Matomo ensures you respect your users’ and customers’ privacy.

Matomo is an open-source, GDPR-compliant alternative to Google Analytics that puts data privacy at the forefront. Start your 21-day free trial of Matomo to unlock the benefits of privacy-friendly analytics.

References

To continue the discussion, please get in touch via the forums or email us.

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