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How to disable cookies on Google Analytics so that you don't need a consent banner

The integration of Google Analytics into a website or blog is not GDPR-compliant by default. You must first obtain explicit consent of the end-users to store cookies, describing in your privacy policy how you intend to use collected personal data. This is the reason why most websites nowadays display an annoying (but necessary) consent banner. If you fail to do so or if you only ask for implicit consent, you are at risk of being fined.


However, it is possible to disable cookies on Google Analytics (GA) respecting end-users privacy, so that you don't need to ask for consent. The downside is that you will not be able to distinguish the type of user (unique vs new vs returning) and you will miss some session insights. If these details are not relevant for you, here is how you do it.

Disable Google Analytics cookies on a custom website
If you have a custom website with full access to the source code, you can simply insert the script below between the <head> and </head> tags, filling in your own tracking id. The only difference between the default Google Tag Manager tracking code and this one is the client_storage: 'none' attribute that disables storing cookies on user's browser.
<script async='async' src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-YOUR_TRACKING_ID'/>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'UA-YOUR_TRACKING_ID', {
client_storage: 'none'
});
</script>

Disable Google Analytics cookies on a React web app
If you own a web app developed with ReactJS, it might be wise to use react-ga package for Google Analytics integration. In order to disable cookies you need to set these two attributes under gaOptions when initializing react-ga.
import ReactGA from 'react-ga'

ReactGA.initialize('UA-YOUR_TRACKING_ID', {
gaOptions: {
storage: 'none',
storeGac: false
}
});


Disable Google Analytics cookies on Blogger
Blogger has an option to set up Google Analytics via Settings, but this feature does not allow you to disable cookies. In order to do so, you need to access the source code of your theme by selecting selecting Theme -> My theme -> Edit HTML in the left-side menu. First you need to insert this code (with your own tracking id) between the <head> and </head> tags.

<script async='async' src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-YOUR_TRACKING_ID'/>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'UA-YOUR_TRACKING_ID', {
client_storage: 'none'
});
</script>

Then you need to remove (or comment) the following line:
<b:include data='blog' name='google-analytics'/>

If you want to remove the cookie banner that Blogger displays by default, you need to add this line of code in the <head> section and save the changes.
<!-- Remove Blogger cookie banner since we use Funding Choice -->
<script type='text/javascript'>cookieChoices = {};</script>


Check that Google Analytics cookies are disabled
  1. Open an incognito window on Google Chrome
  2. Open Developer Tools and click on the Applications tab
  3. Go to your website or blog
  4. If you click on your website URL under Cookies you should not see anything at all, as per screenshot below.
  5. Open Google Analytics and ensure that your visit has been successfully registered.

Disclaimer
This article does not constitute legal advice. You are responsible of ensuring that your website is compliant with the existing privacy regulations at all times.

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