

Ask HN: Is My Google Analytics Tracking Code Private? - sockey

Is there anyway a novice or expert could figure out who I am based on my Google Analytics tracking code?<p>I've searched around and delved into the GA documentation, but haven't found anything that references the tracking codes privacy.
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ianhowlett
Hi. If I can see your GA tracking code on a website, and I then go and check
WHOIS and see who owns the site with that GA tracking code, there's a chance
that if I see that GA tracking code somewhere else I could figure out that
it's you. But I guess I'd really have to be looking, almost stalking you!

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adamclerk
The tracking code will usually be in the source of the page you've used it on.

var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker('UA-XXXXXXX-Y')

It's not going to be very private.

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sockey
I understand the code it publicly viewable. I want to know if it's possible to
connect the UA code to the Google account that it belongs to?

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dman
If you really care about it you can setup throwaway accounts.

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mattgratt
Yes. People use Blekko on GA and AdSense code to find who owns networks of
sites.

The solution is to use a different throw-away account for each site.

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jnorthrop
I don't understand the question. A tracking code is definitively linked to a
particular website. It is not linked to a person. Am I missing something?

