Yes, but the data is used by you and only you. It's not shared with Google. It's not merged with data from other sites and used against your users. The collected data is under your control, and it's used solely for its intended purpose.
google is only interested in selling you ads. They don't care whether you actually get anything out of their analytics product. If it's free, you ARE the product.
Can we not have this mindkill of a line posted in every frigging thread on HN about Google or FB?
Google IS interested in making Google Analytics better, because that ensures that more people use it on their websites, because then, with your cynical framing, Google can use it to sell you better ads.
It's bizarre how people here pretend like Google is simultaneously zealous about selling you ads but also stupid enough to not realize what parts of the Google eco-system synergize with the whole machinery.
I submitted a feature suggestion years ago to add an API for annotations which by now has been voted up a million times and they still ignore it. Really, they don't care about making products better.
Correction: If it's free, your users are the product.
And an addition: If you're enterprise and need Google 360, which is very much not free ($100k+/year I believe), not only are you paying - but your customers are still the product!
it is not, it only gives you the data in a way that is convenient for them to sell you ads. it does not give you the data in a way that you want or is best for your business.
