Enjoy your free data while it lasts, because it may not be around forever.
Internet Explorer 9, available as a beta download since September 2010, includes a feature called Tracking Protection. This video explains how it works:
In case you didn't make it through the video, here's what you need to know: users will be able to "opt out" of having their data collected. I know what you geeks are saying. This tool has been around for months, you can download it here. That's not the same as having a feature built-in by default. With around one-third of web users using Internet Explorer (depending on where you get your numbers) this is a real threat. Since Google Analytics provides webmasters with detailed information on which pages are viewed most, how visitors arrive at the site, how long they stay...losing this data could be devastating. Many website owners live and die by the research provided by Google Analytics.
Perhaps in the near future we will see a rise in independent research companies. Keep in mind not all users need to opt out in order to skew tracking stats to the point they become useless. Data would then have to be collected the "old-fashioned" way, employing the same methods used to gather television viewership statistics. No doubt, the sites willing to pay for this kind of research would have an advantage.
What do you think....will this be game changing? How soon could it take effect?