Re:Show HN: PiratePx – Open Source Privacy focused analytics
by XCSme on Saturday November 21, 2020 @06:11PM
(#25173446)
There are already several good self-hosted analytics tools depending on your needs (Matomo, userTrack, Plausible, etc.)
What features are missing from those platforms that the original Urchin had?
Re:Show HN: PiratePx – Open Source Privacy focused analytics
by j0e1 on Saturday November 21, 2020 @05:16PM
(#25173157)
I don't understand your point. PiratePx seems to be MIT licensed and open-source so that it maybe self-hosted. Are you taking issue with the technique of tracking used here- using pixel-sized GIF?
Re:Show HN: PiratePx – Open Source Privacy focused analytics
by huhtenberg on Sunday November 22, 2020 @05:11AM
(#25176304)
The point is that if it can be self-hosted, then there's no reason to not use cookies and JS, because that's what allows for collecting actually actionable metrics.
And if it's a 3rd party service, then it's not option for anyone who genuinely cares about visitors' privacy.
The principal privacy-related concern with any form of analytics is that of tracking by _a 3rd party_ across _unrelated sites_. And this concern is fully addressed by simply not using external analytics services and relying on a self-hosted one instead.
So I really don't understand the whole exercise with not using random techniques that may be abused by 3rd party analytics services and then somehow claiming pro-privacy focus, whereby the solution is to NOT make yet another analytics service.
The only right way to do "privacy-focused" analytics is to offer a self-hosted option. Whoever makes a proper clone of the the original Urchin, before it mutated into GA, will strike pure gold.