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Removing Google Analytics from this blog

There was a lengthy discussion about Peace and ad-blocking in Accidental Tech Podcast Episode 136. There were many lessons to learn from the story; as a side effect, it also made me reconsider Google Analytics on this blog.

I've been a user of ad-blocking for years and have little to no moral burden.12 I do hate being tracked online, even by Google (to whom I entrust so much of my personal information), although it's certainly better (I believe) than the host of shadier ad networks out there. Given this, why should I force something even I hate down my visitors' throats? Google Analytics is nice at telling me how many page views I got and where they came from, and I don't earn any money from it so I shouldn't feel guilty, but (1) it does install a tracker, and (2) I care very little about traffic anyway.

At this point the decision is pretty clear. I'm simply removing Google Analytics from this blog. This makes the blog entirely cookie-free and JS-free (except for the very occasional JS embed).

  1. I do try to support websites I frequent, e.g., through Ars Premier.↩︎

  2. Although it's easy to be a user of ad-blocking, I fully understand the moral (or even legal) burden of being the developer of an ad-blocker, let alone being the "face" of the ad-blocking industry; therefore, I understand and respect Marco's decision of pulling Peace.↩︎