Hopscom Technology

Google Analytics is losing track of millions of users as regulators ban the service.

The European Union has been after Google for abuse of its monopoly power in mobile search engines and applications. Now, a growing number of countries in the union are going after the use of Google Analytics for violations against the General Data Protection Regulation.

Italy is the third and latest country to prohibit the service which lets webmasters track and analyze their site traffic. The government stated in its decision that rafts of information, including IP addresses, are collected via cookies and transmitted to the United States and could potentially be seen by third parties and the government there, violating the GDPR as users aren't ensured due process for redress. Italy's competition authority has cited domestic web services provider Caffeina Media, giving the firm 90 days to transfer its account away from Google Analytics.

In a blog post, Google Analytics competitor Simple Analytics notes two other member states taking similar action. France's national commission on the freedom of liberation or CNIL announced a ban for the same reason back in February while Austria's Data Protection Authority put down its block in January (via noyb).

Google's appeals and defenses in response to these rulings are generally being dismissed. The company would not be able to satisfactorily demonstrate that it could anonymize user data from Europe before transmitting it to the U.S. Encryption in this process also doesn't matter if Google holds onto the keys.

Google is set to shut down the Universal Analytics platform — which leaned heavily on trackers to collect detailed information about site visitors — most Google Analytics clients are currently on by October 2023. Google Analytics 4, which loosens up on using trackers, but still looks to get a lot of the same data with other methods, is available now, but likely won't earn favors from the E.U. Google has also struggled to develop new, privacy-minded web trackers over the last several years.

A lot of the justifications for banning Google Analytics are coming from something called the 'Schrems II' decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union from 2020. This invalidated earlier principles in a framework dubbed Privacy Shield which protected safeguarded data transfers to the United States. You can see the full verdict here.

Google Cautions Businesses About Anti-Tech Legislation

With access to millions of emails and business profiles, Google’s using its vast resources to inform businesses about tech legislation via email and numerous websites.

People with Google Business Profiles, or who use other Google properties, may have noticed an email warning them of upcoming legislation that could impact their businesses.

In addition to emails, Google has written blogs and set up websites with the goal of educating people about the potential consequences of these bills.

Anti-tech bills, such as the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, work to keep companies like Google from using their online platforms for discriminatory behavior.

Google and other major tech companies are rallying to torpedo the recent bill.
Grassroots Efforts by Google

According to BillHartzer.com, the email states the bill has “unintended consequences” for businesses that use digital tools like Google Ads, Gmail, Google Analytics, and Docs. It also states it would impact listings on Google Search and Maps.

The email goes on to say the bill would make it harder for people to find your business, damage productivity, and cost you both time and money.

Google doesn’t include the name of the bill in its email, information about where people can read it, or any other identifiable characteristics readers could use to find it on their own.

This is indicative of Google trying to craft its own narrative around the proposed bill, rather than encouraging businesses to come to their own conclusions by seeking information elsewhere.
What Is the American Innovation and Choice Online Act?

The bill is a bipartisan effort designed to clip the wings of major online platforms for antitrust and consumer choice violations.

Some of the biggest companies hit by the bill include Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Google.

They’re all targets because they have more than 50 million active monthly users (or 100,000 business users), have an annual market capitalization (or U.S. net sales exceeding $550 billion), and serve as a critical trading partner for its business users, according to the bill’s language.

Consumer choice and privacy have long been an issue as companies like Google use consumer data and information for their own purposes.

The bill would allow federal antitrust agencies the ability to issue civil penalties and injunctions for the following behaviors:

Unfair preferences for the products of the online platform over other businesses.
Limiting products by companies that compete against the platform.
Using discriminatory practices in the enforcement of terms of service that may harm competition.
Use of non-public data obtained or generated by the platform’s business users to preference the platform’s products over the business’.
Restricting or impeding software applications preinstalled on the platform or changing default settings on the platform that steers people to its own products.
Retaliating against users who report concerns.

The bill’s language is vague, much like the initial language of the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 that left many businesses scratching their heads on how to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Proponents of the bill say it eliminates discriminatory practices. Detractors say it negatively impacts consumers and businesses.
Google Website Details Opposition

Efforts by Google to derail the bill include a website that details the issues and allows people to send letters to their congressperson with a pre-written message opposing the bill.

The website goes into detail about how the bill impacts business including:

Eliminating phone number, address, and business hours from Google Search and Maps.
Disconnecting Google ad products from each other and Google Analytics.
Splitting up Gmail, Docs, and Calendar so they no longer work together.

The website also features an extensive FAQ section detailing specific issues such as Internet safety and listings groups that have concerns about the bill including:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Connected Commerce Council
U.S. Black Chambers
Latino Coalition
Chamber of Progress
Asia/ Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship

The website also includes a link to Google’s blog where Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, Google and Alphabet, goes into detail about the concerns Google has for the bill as well as recent amendments to it.
Do Google’s Efforts Prove the Need for the Bill?

Google used its own platform and information to send emails to consumers and businesses to decry opposition to the bill by showing how anti-tech bills can impact them. The one-sided email is as vague as the bill itself.

By providing a one-sided proposition to their consumers that furthers the company’s agenda, does Google prove the need for such a bill?

The legislation is designed to protect businesses from the iron-like grip of massive companies like Google and Amazon. Google says it does more harm than good.

Ultimately, the decision to pass the bill as well as its language is up to Congress. It’s obvious Google and other companies impacted by the bill will continue their own efforts to change or eliminate anti-tech bills.

So Your iPhone Has Stopped Receiving Updates, Now What?

Your iPhone Will Eventually Stop Receiving Updates

By current estimations, Apple provides around seven years of support for the iPhone. The iPhone 6s and iPhone SE launched in 2015 and 2016 respectively, running iOS 9. Both of these models were able to upgrade to iOS 15 in 2021, which means they’ve received seven iOS upgrades and at the time of writing are still receiving ongoing support.

The iPhone 5s launched in 2013 with iOS 7 and eventually ceased receiving updates after iOS 12 released in 2018, which equates to a support period of six major versions. Earlier iPhones like the iPhone 5 only saw five major revisions of iOS. So, as time has gone on, Apple has been supporting its smartphones for longer periods of time.

But age comes for us all eventually, and your iPhone is no different. Eventually, Apple will stop supporting your device with major iOS updates. This means you won’t be able to upgrade to the shiny new version each fall. It’s difficult to predict when this will be even with current estimates, since only Apple can tell.

It’s possible that newer devices will last even longer than older ones, especially as the hardware that powers the iPhone becomes more efficient and capable.
Unsupported Devices May Receive Security Updates

The good news is that even devices that are no longer receiving major iOS upgrades receive over-the-air updates from time to time. You can take a look at Apple’s security updates log to see evidence of this.

For example, iOS 12.5.5 was released in September 2021, targeting the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 (plus some older iPad and iPod Touch models), around the same time that iOS 15 was rolling out. This update addressed known security issues in Safari and other areas of the operating system.

Unfortunately, these updates only target the most critical problems. Smaller bugs and lower priority security issues will go unaddressed since Apple focuses development on the latest version of iOS. For that reason running an older device still presents a security risk, particularly if the device is stuck on a much older version of iOS.
The Problem With Outdated Versions of iOS

Security risks are by far the biggest concern with outdated software of any kind. These could allow attackers to run unsigned code on your device through a web browser which could lead to personal information becoming compromised. An attack could even cause your device to stop working altogether (as was the case with an iMessage exploit that was patched in 2019).

In addition to exposing yourself to security problems, you’ll also miss out on new features that Apple rolls out each fall. This can range from simple tweaks and enhancements to the iOS formula to major new versions of in-built apps like Notes and Safari

Some Apple features might stop working altogether or behave erratically. For example, Continuity features allow you to pick up where you left off on a Mac or an iPad, or copy something on your iPhone and paste it on your Mac (and vice versa). The best way to ensure these features remain functional is to use the latest software on all of your devices.

Some third-party apps may also stop working since they will rely on newer versions of iOS. Apps list the minimum version of iOS required under the “Compatibility” section at the bottom of their App Store listing. This varies from app to app. For example at the time of writing Minecraft works on iOS 10 or later, while Among Us requires iOS 13 at a minimum.

The problems may even extend to peripherals like the Apple Watch. Since the Watch depends on iOS to function, it must be updated wirelessly using the Watch app that lives on your iPhone. You may be missing out on Watch features and updates if your iPhone is stuck on a previous version since newer versions of watchOS must be applied after the latest version of iOS has been installed.
Support Ended? Consider Upgrading Your iPhone

There’s not a lot you can do about an iPhone that is no longer receiving major updates. On a Mac, you can throw caution to the wind and use a patcher to install unsupported versions of macOS anyway, even if it tanks your performance considerably.

On a Mac, you could install a lightweight Linux distribution to regain some performance, or install Windows if your hardware allows. The iPhone doesn’t have this luxury since Apple locks the bootloader to only accept Apple firmware. You could jailbreak your iPhone if there’s an exploit available, but you probably shouldn’t jailbreak unless you have good reason to.
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The only real option that allows you to use the latest version of iOS is to buy a new or used iPhone that’s still receiving support. Being stuck on an older version of iOS is one of the best reasons to replace your iPhone. If your device is old enough that software support has lapsed then you’ll likely see some big improvements in performance, features, camera quality, and more when you upgrade.