# About Google Analytics alternatives

## Related documents
- [Announcement Draft](/dYPWc530R82P_vBhOw6Ttw?both)
- [GDPR check-list](/Q_hw3Sm4S2mOxzrQDJoyJQ)
- [GA list of alternatives](/ncfDOa9PQg--miykClDq3Q)

## How to use them with OJS (a nice addition to the admin guide?)

### Intro/Context

A brief intro explaining why is this important..

Références:
- [Changes in EU regulation](https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/sites/default/files/atoms/files/handleiding_privacyvriendelijk_instellen_google_analytics_jan_22.pdf)
- [Banned in Austria](https://noyb.eu/en/austrian-dsb-eu-us-data-transfers-google-analytics-illegal)
- [CNIL decision for France](https://www.cnil.fr/en/use-google-analytics-and-data-transfers-united-states-cnil-orders-website-manageroperator-comply)
- [Google abuse of user's private data](https://fortune.com/2019/01/28/google-iab-sensitive-profiles/)
- [France rules Google Analytics non-compliant with GDPR](https://matomo.org/blog/2022/02/france-google-analytics-gdpr-breach)

### Some thoughts about "What do we want to achieve?"

- **Aim fast track:** offer alternative to Google Analytics
- Compliance with GDPR = main criteria?
- Basic questions:
- Where are the data stored?
- IP anonymized
- Cookies: consent
- Configurations for a specific legislation will be done in the tools, not in PKP/OJS.
- Use matomo the right way? Matomo is hudge and could be configured to break the GDPR.
- Pausible aims to be GDPR out of the box but we don't have a plugin for them.

We have some options:
- Write a document saying: let people choose. If privacy is a concern, GA should not be recommended. Need to use alternatives.
- Go with Matomo: suggestion to config it to be GDPR compliant (OJS already has a plugin for Matomo)
- Go with Plausible: tool aims to be GDPR compliant "out-of-the-box" (integration with OJS via costum headers plugin, but no specific plug in for now)

3 actions:
- Criteria of GDPR: subproject?
- Create a doc with what we know (current document)
- Start developing plugins (Matomo, Plausible)

### Privacy Checklist
How to assess a tool is compliant with GDPR?
Checklist to make your statistics GDPR compliant.

- [Official EU check-list](https://gdpr.eu/checklist/) (not IT focused - especialy section Data Security and Pravacy rights)
- [Matomo check-list](https://matomo.org/docs/privacy-how-to)
- [Plausible check-list](https://plausible.io/privacy-focused-web-analytics)

See **[PKP recommendation check-list](/Q_hw3Sm4S2mOxzrQDJoyJQ)**

### Alternative Plugin dev
We need to select one or two.
Matomo and Plausible seem to be good alternatives.

See **[GA alternatives](/ncfDOa9PQg--miykClDq3Q)**

### Goals

Find a google analytics alternative been:

- respectful with user privacy (GDPR compliant).
- easy to install and config.
- complete enough for most escenarios.
- FLOSS.
- ...

Create a brief howto (as an admin doc extension or a new document) to install and configure this tool.

Matomo is providing a quite exhaustive list of features, with a comparaison with GA: https://matomo.org/matomo-vs-google-analytics-comparison

# More references

- https://edps.europa.eu/system/files/2021-04/21-04-27_aepd-edps_anonymisation_en_5.pdf
- https://matomo.org/matomo-vs-google-analytics-comparison/
- https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/open-source-google-analytics-alternatives/

# OUTDATED

This part of the document is now outdated as we decided to move into a different direction. Keeping it here for historical reasons.

# Working plan (OUTDATED)

| Task | Estimation (in weeks) |
|:-----|:----------:|
| Make a list of tools (searching or asking partners too) | 2w |
| Create (or find) a table of features. | 2w |
| Bring this table to TC to decide 4-5 options | milestone |
| Analize if those 4-5 option are doing what they promise | 2w |
| Select the best 2-3 of this list and install it to test | 3w |
| Bring back to TC with a recommendation | milestone |
| Contact DIG team to discuss the proposal | milestone |
| Write the howto | 4-8w |

### Tasks to be done

- [ ] Confirm the goals of the document.
- [ ] Extend the list if required.
- [ ] Analyze the different solutions and decide one (or two).
- [ ] Write a "howto" for this one (or two) tool/s.