Are you looking to adjust EU GDPR Data Expiration in Google Analytics? Follow this guide to learn how.
ExactMetrics is built to make compliance as easy as possible for our users.
Learn how to get started with our EU Compliance addon.
Make sure to read our important legal disclaimer at the bottom of this guide.
About Data Retention in Google Analytics
Do you see this message while on Google Analytics?
We’ve recently launched new Data Retention controls that may affect your data starting May 25, 2018. To dismiss this message, please visit your property’s Data Retention settings under Admin > Property > Tracking Info and click ‘Save’. Learn more
If you’re looking for more information on Data Retention, please read our guide: Data Retention in Google Analytics, please see this guide.
To learn about changing the DPA settings, continue on with this guide.
How to Change the GDPR Data Expiration Settings in Google Analytics.
Prerequisites:
- You have Edit permissions for your property in Google Analytics.
- If not, please contact the administrator of your Google Analytics account to request permissions before getting started.
Below are steps for users who have a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property or a Universal Analytics (UA) property. If you’re not sure what kind of property you have, check out our guide to understand the differences between GA4 and UA.
For GA4 properties:
Step 1: Go to analytics.google.com, select your GA4 property and then go to Admin.
Step 2: Then go to Data Settings » Data Retention.
Step 3: Set Event data retention to 2 months or 14 months as needed and the adjustments will apply to data already collected. That being said, metrics such as Age, Gender and Interest data will not be affected and have a retention period of 2 months.
Step 4: As needed, turn on or off the Reset user data on new activity setting. See Google’s guide to learn more on Data Retention in GA4.
For UA properties:
Step 1: While on analytics.google.com, click Admin.
Step 2: Make sure the right property is selected within the Property column. Then click Tracking Info.
Step 3: Within Tracking Info, click on Data Retention.
Step 4: Choose the retention period you desire for User and event data retention. We usually recommend choosing “Do not automatically expire”, unless regulations or laws require you to change this.
You can choose on or off for Reset on new activity.
So what does all this mean?
Example 1. Let’s say retention is set for 26 months and the reset option is toggled on. When a user returns within 10 months, old data will persist for another 26 months.
Example 2. When a User doesn’t return before the set retention timeframe, then the User’s data will expire.
Example 3. Data will be removed on a monthly basis, unaffected by returning visits. New data will persist until expiration. This will take effect if “Reset on new activity” is off. That being said, our recommendation is leaving the option on, unless regulations or laws require you to change this.
That’s it! You learned how to adjust the data expiration settings.
What’s next? Read the rest of our guide on EU Compliance: Getting Started with the EU Compliance Addon.
Legal Disclaimer: This addon is designed to automate some of the settings change required to be in compliance with various EU laws however due to the dynamic nature of websites, no plugin can offer 100% legal compliance. Please consult a specialist internet law attorney to determine if you are in compliance with all applicable laws for your jurisdictions and your use cases.
As a website operator, it is solely your responsibility to ensure that you are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations governing your use of our plugin.
MonsterInsights, its employees/contractors, and other affiliated parties are not lawyers. Any advice given in our support, documentation, website, other mediums or through our services/products should not be considered legal advice and is for informational and/or educational purposes only and are not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date, and do not constitute creating/entering an Attorney-Client relationship.