Beyond Cookies: The Unseen Privacy Risks of Web Analytics
summary
Claims that many websites and apps are leaking sensitive data via common analytics: hashed form fields sent to social pixels, page titles sent to video trackers (VPPA risk), and leftover or trial tags still present. Tools used for discovery include OpenWPM, browser devtools, Ghostery and MITM proxies for mobile. Built an automated scanner that crawls thousands of pages, parses GET/POST payloads (base64 sometimes), flags advanced matching behavior and unmanaged tags in Google Tag Manager—findings repeatedly trigger FTC/HHS enforcement or class actions.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Unseen web analytics risks
- 1:07Why this matters
- 3:15Enforcement shaping risks
- 8:15Legal drivers of tracking scrutiny
- 15:02Tracking tech breakdown
- 23:52Drivers of tracking proliferation
- 29:15Detecting website trackers
- 37:22Key investigation lessons
- 41:53Tracking governance & compliance
- 44:21Q&A
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