How Consentless Tracking Works
Consentless tracking represents a fundamental evolution in web analytics:
shifting from individual user tracking to aggregate, privacy-preserving measurement.
SealMetrics pioneered this approach through dual tracking technologies designed to capture complete website behavior without personal data, without cookies, and without requiring user consent.
1. The Core Methodology
Aggregate Measurement Instead of Individual Tracking
Traditional Analytics (❌ Requires Consent)
- Uses cookies to store visitor IDs
- Reconstructs individual user journeys
- Builds detailed behavioral profiles
- Tracks users across sessions
- Loses 50–85% of data when users decline cookies
SealMetrics Consentless Approach (✅ No Consent Required)
- Measures isolated, aggregate events, not people
- No cookies, no fingerprinting, no local storage
- No user identification or profiling
- 100% traffic capture — every hit is measured
- Fully compliant with GDPR, ePrivacy, CCPA, PECR
2. Dual Consentless Tracking System
The Only System in the World with Two Privacy-Preserving Measurement Modes
SealMetrics combines two tracking techniques to offer flexibility based on privacy needs.
A. Session-ID Based Tracking
How It Works
- Generates a temporary, session-limited ID
- ID expires as soon as the session ends
- No cross-session linking
- No persistent identifiers
Data Captured
- Page views for the duration of the session
- Events happening in the same visit
Privacy Safeguards
- No user-level profiles
- No personal data collected
- Session IDs cannot identify individuals
- Immediate anonymization at point of capture
B. Isolated Hits Tracking (SuperPrivacy Mode)
How It Works
- Every interaction = a fully isolated hit
- No linking between hits
- No session reconstruction
- No behavioral pattern building
Why It’s the Most Private Method
- No correlation = no possibility of identifying a person
- Ideal for strict privacy environments (e.g., healthcare, government)
- Fastest processing due to ultra-minimal dataset
3. The Four-Variable System
SealMetrics Only Captures These Four Anonymous Variables
Each hit includes:
- Timestamp
- User Agent (captured but NOT stored)
- Current URL
- Referral URL
Nothing more.
This extremely minimal dataset makes personal identification technically impossible.
4. How Data Is Collected and Processed
Technical Flow of Consentless Tracking
Step 1 — Event Detection
- JavaScript tracker detects page views or events
- No cookies, local storage, or fingerprinting
- Immediate anonymization
Step 2 — Processing Layer
- Events processed through privacy-preserving algorithms
- Patterns aggregated statistically
- No cross-hit linking
Step 3 — Insight Generation
- Dashboards and reports show aggregate behavior
- No user journeys
- No personal data, ever
5. The “Ping” Methodology
SealMetrics uses a privacy-safe request system similar to search engines’ crawlers.
Traditional Analytics “Pings”
❌ Associated with user identifiers
❌ Require consent
❌ Build behavioral profiles
SealMetrics Privacy Pings
✅ Fully anonymous
✅ No consent required
✅ Used only to understand aggregate behavior
6. Tracker Options
Choose the Privacy Model That Fits Your Needs
GlobalTracker (Recommended for 98% of websites)
- Follows hit sequence within a single session
- Offers session-level behavior insights
- No user identification
- Ideal for e-commerce and marketing teams
SuperPrivacy Tracker (Maximum Anonymity)
- Each hit completely independent
- No session logic
- Zero correlation possible
- Ideal for healthcare, government, finance
7. Privacy-Safe Attribution
How Conversions Are Attributed Without Tracking People
SealMetrics uses:
- Last-click attribution
- UTM parameter processing
- Anonymous channel assignment
Conversions are linked to channels — not to individuals.
8. Compliance by Design
Why SealMetrics Doesn’t Require Consent
GDPR
- No personal data → GDPR does not apply
- No identifiers, no profiles, no tracking of individuals
ePrivacy Directive
- No cookies
- No local storage
- No access to terminal equipment
CCPA / PECR
- No personal information
- No sale or sharing of user-level data
European Infrastructure
- 100% hosted in Dublin (Ireland)
- No international data transfers
This is privacy-by-design, not privacy-by-policy.
9. Real-World Implementation Example
<!-- Basic Sealmetrics Implementation -->
<script>
(function() {
var options = {
account: 'ADD-ACCOUNT-ID',
event: 'pageview',
use_session: 1
};
var url = "//app.sealmetrics.com/tag/v2/tracker";
function loadScript(callback) {
var script = document.createElement("script");
script.src = url;
script.async = true;
script.onload = function() { callback && callback(); };
document.head.appendChild(script);
}
loadScript(function() {
options.id = Math.floor((Math.random() * 999) + 1);
if (window.sm) {
new window.sm(options).track(options.event);
}
});
})();
</script>