Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Service URL: policies.google.com (opens in a new window)
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
It is a great post. Ethical behavior can be practical. It is important to stress in this time where everything, including ethics, can be justified by argument of being practical and efficient. We may smuggle more ethical behavior through the “back-door”.
Thank you Sir for your much appreciated feedback.
Practicality and efficiency are always foremost in my mind in whatever I do. I tend to apply a certain I/O machine language philosophy in the workplace. I believe that the way computer hardware and software relate to each other is a perfect paragon of the hierarchical structure of any organisation. If everyone speaks the same “language” and an effort is made to pair up the right components then you will have a well-oiled machine. Just like with any new software, faults will always be present and a few courses of debugging will ultimately hone the software and make it more efficient.
Remaining on the tech theme, maybe ethics is more like an anitvirus program, it needs to have a place in the grand scheme of things in order to keep the morally weak (buggy software) from succumbing to the havoc that malware (negative elements) causes in an organisation. So we come full circle to your “back-door” comment, Dr. Kurbalija; just like in any software project, being able to regain access through a back-door and inject some ethics is essential when our software is compromised beyond repair by unethical elements.
Thanks again for your comment that got me thinking more about this subject…I feel a new topic brewing for a future article. 😉