What our standard tag actually does
Visitor Tracking’s standard pageview tag does not set tracking cookies or persist a visitor ID in localStorage or sessionStorage. It sends page and browser information to the analytics service. The server processes the connection’s IP address for identifier creation and geolocation, but does not save raw IP addresses in the analytics database.
Anonymous identifiers group activity using the website, IP address, browser user-agent and a rotating salt. Event-level activity is retained for reporting. These technical choices explain the product; they are not a certification that every installation qualifies for a consent exemption.
What the current UK guidance says
The ICO describes a statistical purposes exception for certain uses of storage and access technologies. Conditions include using aggregate information to improve the service, providing clear information and offering a simple, free way to object. Individual monitoring, advertising purposes and retaining individual-level information beyond the necessary aggregation process can fall outside the exception.
This is narrower than “all analytics is exempt”. Do not assume Visitor Tracking qualifies automatically: its reporting retains event-level activity. Review your actual implementation, data handling and purpose against the guidance. Personal-data processing can also bring separate UK GDPR obligations.
Review the whole website before changing a banner
Changing your analytics tool does not change what your advertising pixels, video embeds, chat widgets or other scripts do. A website may still need a consent mechanism for those technologies. The requirements can also differ between the countries where you and your visitors are located.
If your implementation requires consent, arrange for collection to follow that choice. If you rely on an applicable objection mechanism, ensure it actually stops the relevant collection when used. A sentence in a privacy notice does not, by itself, change how a script behaves.
- List the scripts and embedded services that run on your pages.
- Record what each collects, its purpose, and whether browser information is stored or accessed.
- Review the applicable rules and any exemption conditions for that purpose.
- Make your notice and consent or objection controls match the actual implementation.
Can Google Analytics send data without cookies?
Yes. Google documents that advanced consent mode can send cookieless pings when consent is denied, while basic consent mode blocks transmission in that situation. That is a different setup from our standard cookieless tag. It does not remove the need to review the relevant requirements.
This page explains the technology and points you to primary guidance. It is not a legal assessment of your website. If your compliance decision depends on an exemption, obtain advice for your own implementation rather than relying on a marketing label.