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FHM Netherlands Updates Website Tracking for Enhanced Privacy and Analytics
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Amsterdam, Netherlands – FHM Netherlands (fhm.nl) has recently implemented a series of updates to its website tracking scripts, focusing on bolstering data privacy while maintaining robust analytics capabilities. The changes, observed on November 21, 2023, involve the integration of new scripts and modifications to existing ones, impacting how user data is collected and utilized.
Breaking Changes and New Integrations
The website now incorporates scripts from multiple providers, including Facebook, Google Tag Manager, Flashb.id, and Plausible Analytics. These updates are designed to align with evolving data privacy regulations, particularly concerning user consent and data storage.
- Facebook Pixel (fbq): A Facebook Pixel script, initialized with ID ‘495126133132541’, continues to track ‘PageView’ events. This allows FHM Netherlands to measure the effectiveness of its Facebook advertising campaigns.
- Google Tag Manager (gtag.js): Google Tag Manager (GTM) is utilized with ID ‘G-VGPGBJZZTQ’. Initial consent settings within GTM are configured to ‘denied’ for ad storage, ad user data, and ad personalization, while granting consent for analytics, functionality, and security storage. this reflects a commitment to prioritizing user privacy.
- Google Analytics (gtag): A separate Google Analytics script is also implemented via GTM, configured with the same ID ‘G-VGPGBJZZTQ’. This script tracks basic website usage data.
- Content Rating Integration: A script dynamically reads the ‘content-rating’ meta tag and assigns a ‘tnl_wog’ value to the ‘MMDATA’ object. this value is set to ‘1’ for ‘safe’ content, ‘2’ for ‘somewhat safe’ content, and ‘noads’ for ‘not safe’ content. this suggests an internal system for ad serving based on content suitability.
- Flashb.id Script: A script from Flashb.id (a34662e8-683a-5d3e-8662-51f3e5c3bd2f) is included, potentially for ad optimization or user behavior analysis.
- Hbdbrk Script: A script initializes the ‘window._hbdbrk’ array, suggesting integration with a third-party service for potentially ad-related functionalities.
- FHM.nl Specific Script: A script hosted on mmcdn.nl (//mmcdn.nl/tags/fhm.nl/pagina.js) is loaded, likely containing custom tracking or functionality specific to FHM Netherlands.
- Plausible Analytics: Plausible Analytics is integrated asynchronously, using the API endpoint ‘https://analytics.newsifier.nl/api/event’ and the domain ‘fhm.nl’. This provides a privacy-focused choice to Google Analytics.
Context and Implications
These changes reflect a broader trend among publishers to enhance data privacy and transparency in response to regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. FHM Netherlands’ approach involves a layered strategy:
- Consent Management: The initial GTM configuration demonstrates a default-denied approach to advertising-related data collection, requiring explicit user consent.
- privacy-Focused Analytics: The adoption of Plausible Analytics signals a move towards more privacy-respecting analytics solutions. Plausible dose not use cookies and collects minimal personal data.
- Content-Based Ad Serving: The ‘tnl_wog’ variable suggests a system for tailoring ad delivery based on the content being viewed, potentially to avoid displaying inappropriate
