We are writing this post to address recent issues regarding the use of Google Analytics. In light of the recent decision of the Swedish Data Protection Authority (IMY) regarding the use of Google Analytics and data protection, we would like to assure you that we at Abicart, as our customers' data processor, always strive to ensure the integrity and security of your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Google Analytics is the most popular tool for analyzing website traffic among e-retailers and we have integrated support for it in our platform. We understand the importance of data integrity and take it seriously. Although it is the deprecated version of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) that has been assessed by IMY, it is not legally determined whether the new version used in Abicart (Google Analytics 4) violates any part of the GDPR.

We want to emphasize that Abicart does not transmit any personal information that can identify an individual to Google Analytics, either from our administrative system or through the Google Tag Manager used to send the information to Google Analytics. 

In order to comply with the GDPR's consent requirements, as well as the Electronic Communications Act (also known as the Cookie Act), we have implemented a consent management system, which ensures that data is only transferred to Google Analytics after the customer's explicit consent.

Read more about the practices Abicart follows in the integration with Google: Best practices to avoid sending data that can be linked to a specific individual.

Responsibilities of the shop owner
In accordance with the GDPR, you as a shop owner are the ultimate data controller for the site's visitors. As a technical provider, Abicart acts as your data processor, handling personal data on your behalf in accordance with the data processing agreement (which is part of our general terms and conditions). We are committed to maintaining this trust and will continue to meet a high standard of data privacy and security.

Those of you familiar with Google Analytics know what a powerful and useful tool it is for tracking and analyzing website traffic. We at Abicart are also aware that data privacy is a top priority, so we would like to inform you that, in light of the IMY's legal interpretation on the use of Google Analytics, we have begun a thorough and extensive investigation into alternative solutions.

We are committed to finding an alternative that maintains the analytical depth that Google Analytics provides, while meeting and exceeding the data privacy requirements of the GDPR.

If you have any questions or concerns about this topic, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your trust in Abicart and look forward to continuing to provide a secure and efficient e-commerce platform for your business.

Best regards,

Rikard Sigvardsson
Textalk / Abicart