A product name alone cannot establish GDPR compliance. For a WordPress site using Google Analytics, review what the tag sends, when it runs, the configured sharing settings, retention and the applicable data-processing arrangements.
This article updates the earlier 2025 guide. It is a configuration comparison, not a finding that every Google Analytics setup is lawful or unlawful.
What changed from older Google Analytics advice?
Do not apply Universal Analytics instructions to GA4. Google states that GA4 uses IP addresses during collection to derive location, then discards them before logging. An instruction to enable the old IP-anonymization setting is therefore misleading. See Google’s regional data collection documentation.
That behavior does not settle every privacy question. Review the rest of the information collected and your site’s consent implementation.
What should a WordPress site owner check?
- Collection: Inspect the actual requests, including URLs, event parameters and identifiers.
- Consent: Test before a choice, after rejection and after acceptance. Confirm the behavior matches your intended setup.
- Sharing and retention: Review enabled integrations, access permissions and retention settings.
- Transparency: Make the site’s notice describe the configured collection and recipients.
- Current requirements: Have the responsible privacy adviser assess the site’s purposes, audience and arrangements.
Audience-measurement consent exemptions have conditions. A claim of “cookieless” or “self-hosted” alone is not enough; the CNIL’s audience-measurement guidance explains the conditional nature of these exemptions.
What changes when I use SlimStat?
SlimStat stores core analytics in your WordPress database, or a configured external database with Pro. You can manage reports, access and retention inside WordPress. This gives you control over the stored analytics; hosting, backups and optional services still need review.
SlimStat 6 provides GDPR Compliance Mode, consent integration, IP anonymization and IP hashing. These privacy settings require configuration and are off by default. Disabling the tracking cookie also changes how visits can be grouped. Read the consent setup guide before collecting production traffic.
Should I switch?
Choose SlimStat if you want WordPress-based reports and control over the analytics database. Free includes traffic reports and one conversion goal; Pro adds funnels, click heatmaps and scheduled reports. Switching tools does not itself establish legal compliance.
Install SlimStat Free, review privacy-focused analytics choices, or compare Free and Pro.