[pydotorg-www] Analytics

[Michael Foord]

On 25/04/2010 22:18, Aahz wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 25, 2010, Michael Foord wrote:
>    
>> I haven't seen a rational explanation for why google analytics is a
>> privacy concern.
>>      
> Well, I don't know anything specific about Google Analytics, nor do I
> believe that there's any reason to spend time investigating it, because
> of the following three points:
>
> * Google's giant mis-step with Buzz
>    

Something I think was blown hugely out of proportion - but yes, a 
mistake google is unlikely to repeat!

> * https://panopticlick.eff.org/
>    
A theoretical demonstration of how individual users can be tracked (not 
something known to be used) - if what we want is analytics based on 
tracking users then it isn't prima-facie a privacy concern unless 
tracking how users access python.org is itself a privacy concern.

> * Netflix disaggregation of "anonymous" data
>
>    
Well - I think yahoo's is much more relevant (and applies to the 
*disclosure* of anonymous data not the collection of it) - with netflix 
a very interesting technical problem was *stopped* because of privacy 
concerns around the disclosure of data.

> > From my POV, the onus is on anyone proposing Google to demonstrate that
> using Google is *not* a privacy concern.  If these three points are not
> something you've heard of before, I think you are not sufficiently
> informed about privacy to have an opinion on the subject.
>    
Well, let's debate this if and when the services under discussion 
actually become something we want / need, which doesn't seem to be the 
case now.

All the best,

Michael

-- 
http://www.ironpythoninaction.com/
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