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adit_kr 0 Newbie Poster

I want to get information about visitors like what is the referring page, what is their geolocation, what browser they are using etc. There are several web analytics software available for that. I prefer piwik web analytics. Before using piwik in my website, I want to know whether the visitors like or dislike the use of tracking code in webpages. If the users dislike, I will not use any analytics software. Suppose you are a visitor of my website. How will you feel if you know that you are being tracked? Which one of the following is your answer?

1) Tracking is not a bad thing. The website author really needs data about me. This will help him run his website better. So I don't mind being trakced.

2) I don't like being tracked. I will block that particular script () in my browser or I will stop visiting the website.

My answer:
Personally, if I am the visitor, and somebody is using tracking code in his website, I will definitely block that script in my browser.
Please vote this poll (supposing you are a visitor). The results of the poll will help me decide whether to use web analytics software.

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Dani AI

Generated

Short answer for : visitors fall into three rough groups — indifferent, privacy-aware, and actively blocking. Many people accept lightweight, anonymous tracking if it is clearly used to improve the site. A smaller but vocal group will install blockers or stop visiting if they feel tracked.

Practical trade-offs: analytics give useful signals (referrers, geo, browser, page flow) that help prioritize work. But blocking and privacy concerns will skew numbers. To keep useful data while minimizing pushback, prefer a privacy-first setup: self-host the analytics, do not collect or store PII, anonymize IPs, shorten retention, and avoid logging full query strings or form contents.

Concrete, low-effort steps to reduce complaints and blocker impact:

  • Host the tracker on your own domain and serve it over HTTPS to reduce third-party blocking.
  • Enable IP anonymization and disable user-ID or form-data collection.
  • Turn off or avoid cross-site tracking and third-party cookies.
  • Publish a short, obvious privacy note explaining what you collect and why.
  • Provide a simple opt-out (one-click cookie or an opt-out link).
  • Compare results with server logs or fallback metrics so you know how much blocking changes counts.
  • Start with only the metrics you need (page views, referrers, goals) rather than full-session capture.

If unsure, run a small experiment: enable minimal, anonymized tracking with a visible privacy blurb and measure user reaction for a few weeks. That will tell you whether your actual audience cares. In many cases the right balance is to collect only what you need, be transparent about it, and give users an easy opt-out — that keeps analytics useful while respecting visitors.

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