The effects of regional cookie regulations on analytics

Browser activity

Measuring browser activity relies on cookies: packets of data that track activity between servers and browsers. Depending on where visitors access your guide and make their cookies consent decision, regional regulations may impact their decision:

• In the EU, regulations require that users are opted out of cookies by default. Users can decide to opt in manually.
• This is also true for users in the US state of California.
• For other states in the US, users are opted in to cookies by default, but regulations require that they have the option to opt out.

A high percentage of visitors in the EU and California will be automatically opted out of cookies. Even though Bloomberg Connects cannot store data on visitors who opt out of cookies, visitor actions like opening your guide and viewing content are anonymized and reported in your data dashboard.

QR codes in iOS

Measuring QR codes doesn’t rely on cookies, but it is impacted by Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). When a visitor opens the Bloomberg Connects app for the first time on an iPhone, they will see an IDFA prompt. The prompt requests permission to track activity across apps and websites. If a user denies this request, their QR code scans cannot be tracked. 

However, note that visitors’ scans from before they decline the IDFA in the app are still recorded.