Change from Google Analytics to Matomo in https://lbry.tv/

[rosa2]

Hello and thanks for the software

My association is looking where to move from Youtube to another platform and we were considering https://lbry.tv/, but we just discovered that you use Google Analytics and decided that this is a blocker, so we will go to another service. It is sad because we liked it a lot and because you have an alternative like Matomo https://matomo.org/ with ethical analytics. You can import information from Google Analytics to Matomo. We understand that you need analytics, but Google follows people all over internet and you shouldn't collaborate in this, we think, especially when there are alternatives. We don't want to be responsible for Google following our users because they visit us in your site.

Now people we are more and more conscious about this and ask. You can see that Jitsi has taken away Google Analytics from its conference server https://meet.jit.si/ and put Amplitude (8x8 has bought that analytics soft).

https://github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet/issues/4590

I hope you take this into account and I will be able to use your platform in other projects. Thanks a lot :)

[tzarebczan]

Thank you for the issue and detailed write up. Users who are concerned with tracking on lbry.tv can either use a blocker or install the Desktop app which is completely opt in.

We do want to get away from using it, but we don't have the resources to put in at the moment to move everything over. Analytics are extremely useful to us and GA works well, and we'd rather work on the apps vs trying to move over the analytics. But we'll get there!

[kauffj]

We agree with this in principle but have struggled to prioritize this. @finer9 did you look at if matomo could work for our purposes?

[rosa2]

Thanks @kauffj for prioritizing this.

@tzarebczan not all people have the technical skills to add blockers or is conscious about data brokers or scrapers or want to install another app. As a social association careful with their associates and people in general, we are not going to facilitate that their data goes to wrong hands. Nor, we are going to make a diffusion new on a new video blog saying that it has Google Analytics and that they have to do x to protect them :) They are going to wonder why we could not choose another thing and also distract them from the main subject.

We understand that you need analytics to make you site better and hope you can put resources to change to Matomo, but while that is not done, I will not advice https://lbry.tv/, sorry. Just yesterday, before @kauffj made his comment, I reached the person that recommended to one of our associates your site to tell them that you use Google Analytics. Now they are going to talk about that in the next meeting because they just started to use it and it will be not a big effort to change. You can verify what I say https://lbry.tv/@lamoscatv:2 They were going to publicize the video blog and they have stop.

I will be pleased to reach them again and say that you are going to change to Matomo and that they keep with you, as well to our association. Please, protect your users if you want them to use your soft.

Thanks for your work and have a good day :)

[rosa2]

Why did you @tzarebczan transferred this issue from lbryio/lbrytv to here if the problem is there? I am very surprised by this. You said that Desktop has not Google Analytics, so they can not change that. It is in lbryio/lbrytv where I ask for the change. This makes me suspicious about this, sorry. I hope you give to me a good reason or rectify.

[tzarebczan]

The code for lbry.tv front end lives here (for both web and desktop). Lbry.tv repo is just an API proxy. It's a bit confusing, I know....

[neb-b]

Commenting to remind myself to update src handling for referrals

[designbyruth]

Hi, it's 2024 and Odysee is still using Google reCaptcha! Why did you mark this as resolved? @finer9 @kauffj