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Plausible Analytics is built with privacy as a core principle. Unlike traditional analytics platforms, Plausible doesn’t use cookies, doesn’t track users across websites, and doesn’t collect personally identifiable information.

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Privacy-First Architecture

Plausible’s approach to privacy:

No Cookies

Zero cookies or persistent identifiers. Nothing stored in visitor browsers.

No Cross-Site Tracking

Each site’s data is completely isolated. No tracking networks.

No Personal Data

No collection of PII. Visitors remain completely anonymous.

Lightweight Script

Under 1KB script size. Minimal impact on page performance.

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How Visitor Tracking Works

Plausible identifies unique visitors without cookies or persistent storage:
1

Generate Daily Hash

A unique visitor ID is created by combining:
  • Visitor’s IP address
  • User Agent string
  • Website domain
This combination is hashed using a one-way encryption.
2

Daily Rotation

The hash salt rotates every 24 hours, making it impossible to track visitors across days. Yesterday’s hash is completely different from today’s.
3

No Storage

Nothing is stored on the visitor’s device. No cookies, no localStorage, no fingerprinting.
4

Anonymized Data

Once the pageview is recorded, only aggregated statistics are stored. Individual visitor data cannot be reconstructed.
This method provides accurate visitor counts and session data while maintaining complete anonymity and privacy.

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Regulatory Compliance

Plausible is designed to comply with major privacy regulations:

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GDPR Compliance

General Data Protection Regulation (European Union)
  • ✅ No cookies means no cookie consent required
  • ✅ No personal data collected
  • ✅ Data processing based on legitimate interest
  • ✅ Compliant with Article 6(1)(f)
  • ✅ No need for cookie banners in most cases
Many Plausible users can operate without cookie consent banners. However, always consult with your legal team as requirements may vary based on your specific situation.

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CCPA Compliance

California Consumer Privacy Act
  • ✅ No sale of personal information
  • ✅ No personal data collected to begin with
  • ✅ Visitors cannot be identified
  • ✅ No opt-out mechanism needed

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PECR Compliance

Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
  • ✅ No cookies or similar technologies
  • ✅ No prior consent required for analytics
  • ✅ Compliant with UK and EU regulations

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Other Regulations

Plausible also complies with:
  • ePrivacy Directive
  • PIPEDA (Canada)
  • LGPD (Brazil)
  • Various regional privacy laws

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Data Storage and Security

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Where Data is Stored

  • Cloud Infrastructure: Plausible Cloud uses servers in the EU (Germany)
  • Data Residency: All data remains within the European Union
  • Self-Hosted: You control data location with self-hosted deployments

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Data Encryption

  • In Transit: All data encrypted with TLS/HTTPS
  • At Rest: Database encryption for stored analytics data
  • Hashed IDs: Visitor identifiers are hashed and salted

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Data Retention

  • Forever by Default: Analytics data stored indefinitely for insights
  • Custom Retention: Configure data retention policies
  • Easy Deletion: Delete all site data anytime
Deleting a site permanently removes all associated analytics data. This action cannot be undone.

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IP Address Handling

Plausible processes IP addresses responsibly:

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Collection Purpose

IP addresses are used only to:
  • Generate anonymous visitor IDs (hashed daily)
  • Determine approximate geographic location (country/city)
  • Detect spam and prevent abuse

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No Storage

  • IP addresses are never stored in the database
  • Used only at collection time, then discarded
  • Cannot be used to identify individuals later

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Geographic Data

Location data stored:
  • Country - Derived from IP
  • Region/State - Approximate location
  • City - General city area
Not stored:
  • Exact coordinates
  • Precise addresses
  • Street-level location

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Privacy Controls

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Excluding Pages

Exclude specific pages from tracking: 
<script defer data-domain="yourdomain.com" 
        data-exclude="/admin/*,/account/*"
        src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js">
</script>

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Hash-Based Routing

For single-page applications: 
<script defer data-domain="yourdomain.com"
        src="https://plausible.io/js/script.hash.js">
</script>

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Proxy Configuration

Run Plausible through your own domain to:
  • Bypass ad blockers (for accurate data)
  • Maintain first-party data collection
  • Enhance privacy perception

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Privacy Shields

Additional privacy features to block unwanted traffic:
Block traffic from specific IP addresses or ranges:
  • Exclude internal team traffic
  • Block known spam sources
  • Filter data center IPs
  • Maintain clean analytics data
Block traffic from entire countries:
  • Exclude regions not relevant to your business
  • Filter out spam-heavy locations
  • Focus on target markets
Control which hostnames can send data:
  • Prevent data pollution from scrapers
  • Block unauthorized domains
  • Protect against traffic hijacking
Block specific pages from analytics:
  • Exclude admin pages
  • Filter staging environments
  • Remove internal tools from stats

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Transparency and Open Source

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Open Source Code

  • Fully Open Source: Entire codebase available on GitHub
  • Community Audited: Security and privacy reviewed by thousands
  • No Hidden Tracking: Every line of code is public
  • Self-Hostable: Run your own instance with complete control

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Data Ownership

You own your data:
  • Export anytime in CSV or via API
  • Delete permanently whenever you want
  • No vendor lock-in
  • Full data portability

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Privacy Policy Requirements

Using Plausible typically simplifies your privacy policy:

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What to Include

We use Plausible Analytics to track overall trends in website usage. 
Plausible Analytics collects only aggregated information, which does 
not allow us to identify any visitor to our website. No personal data 
is collected.

For more information, see the Plausible Analytics Data Policy:
https://plausible.io/data-policy
In most cases, no cookie notice is required because:
  • No cookies are used
  • No personal data collected
  • No consent mechanism needed
Always consult your legal team about privacy policy requirements specific to your jurisdiction and business.

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Comparison with Traditional Analytics

FeaturePlausibleTraditional Analytics
Cookies❌ None✅ Multiple cookies
Personal Data❌ None✅ Extensive PII
Cross-site Tracking❌ No✅ Yes
Cookie Consent❌ Not needed✅ Required
Script Size<1 KB45+ KB
GDPR Compliant✅ Yes⚠️ Requires configuration
Open Source✅ Yes❌ No

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Do Not Track (DNT)

Plausible respects Do Not Track browser settings:
  • When DNT is enabled, no data is collected
  • Visitor privacy preference is honored
  • No tracking or analytics performed
  • Completely opt-out compliant

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Data Processing Agreement

For enterprise customers:
  • DPA available upon request
  • GDPR Article 28 compliant
  • Standard contractual clauses
  • Processor responsibilities documented

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Privacy Audits

Plausible undergoes regular security and privacy reviews:
  • Independent security audits
  • Community code reviews
  • Penetration testing
  • Privacy impact assessments

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Best Practices

Update Privacy Policy

Include a brief mention of Plausible in your privacy policy.

Use Privacy Shields

Block internal traffic and spam to keep data clean and private.

Review Regularly

Periodically review what data you’re collecting and why.

Stay Informed

Keep up with privacy regulation changes in your jurisdictions.

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Self-Hosting for Maximum Privacy

For complete data control:
  • Host Plausible on your own infrastructure
  • Full control over data location
  • Custom data retention policies
  • Additional security measures
  • Integration with internal systems

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Next Steps

Dashboard

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Installation

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