Zenovay Help Center

Enable privacy-first tracking that works without cookies and doesn't require consent banners.

What is Privacy Mode?

Privacy mode is a cookieless, privacy-focused tracking configuration that:

Uses no cookies
Doesn't store IP addresses
Creates no persistent identifiers
Complies with GDPR without consent
Respects user privacy by default

Enabling Privacy Mode

Dashboard Setup

Privacy mode is enabled in the dashboard:

Go to Settings → Privacy
Toggle Privacy Mode ON
Optionally enable Full IP Anonymization
Save changes

These settings are delivered to the tracker automatically via the /load endpoint -- no script attribute changes needed.

Script Tag

Your script tag stays simple:

<script
  defer
  data-tracking-code="YOUR_TRACKING_CODE"
  src="https://api.zenovay.com/z.js"
></script>

Note: Zenovay respects Do Not Track (DNT) and Global Privacy Control (GPC) by default. No attribute is needed for this. Use data-ignore-dnt="true" only if you need to override this behavior and track anyway.

Feature Comparison

Standard vs Privacy Mode

Feature	Standard	Privacy Mode
Page view tracking	✓	✓
Event tracking	✓	✓
Traffic sources	✓	✓ (domain only)
Geographic data	City	Country only
Device/browser	✓	✓
Session tracking	✓	Limited
Returning visitors	✓	✗
Cross-session tracking	✓	✗
User identification	✓	✗
Cookies used	Yes	No
Consent required	Usually	No

Data Differences

Standard Mode:

Visitor arrives:
├── Session cookie set (24h expiry)
├── Visitor ID created (hash of IP+UA)
├── Full URL with parameters recorded
├── Full referrer URL recorded
└── City-level geolocation stored

Privacy Mode:

Visitor arrives:
├── No cookies set
├── Random session ID (page-level only)
├── URL stripped of parameters
├── Referrer domain only
└── Country-level geolocation only

Technical Details

Visitor Identification

Standard: Consistent ID across sessions

Day 1: Visitor v_abc123 visits
Day 2: Same visitor v_abc123 returns
       ↪ Counted as returning visitor

Privacy: Per-page random ID

Day 1: Visitor random-1 visits
Day 2: Same person, new random-2
       ↪ Counted as new visitor

URL Handling

Standard: Full URL with parameters

https://example.com/products?campaign=summer&source=email

Privacy: Stripped URL

https://example.com/products

Referrer Handling

Standard: Full referrer

https://google.com/search?q=analytics+tools

Privacy: Domain only

google.com

IP Address

Standard: Hashed, used for geo and visitor ID

IP → GeoIP lookup → Store location + visitor hash

Privacy: Transient, never stored

IP → Country lookup → Discard IP immediately

Analytics Impact

What You Keep

Page view counts
Event tracking
Traffic source channels (organic, social, direct)
Device and browser stats
Country-level geography
Session duration (within single page)

What You Lose

Returning visitor detection
Multi-session journey tracking
City-level geography
User path analysis
Conversion attribution (multi-session)

Accuracy Trade-offs

Metric	Standard	Privacy Mode
Total page views	100%	100%
Unique visitors	Accurate	Overcounted ~20-30%
Sessions	Accurate	Undercounted
Bounce rate	Accurate	Less accurate
Time on site	Accurate	Per-page only

When to Use Privacy Mode

Recommended For

EU-focused sites without consent management
Privacy-sensitive industries (healthcare, legal)
Government sites with strict requirements
Sites avoiding consent banners
Minimal tracking needs

Not Recommended For

E-commerce needing conversion attribution
SaaS tracking user journeys
Marketing measuring campaign effectiveness
Sites with consent management already

Hybrid Approach

// Only load tracking after consent is granted
function handleConsent(granted) {
  if (granted) {
    const script = document.createElement('script');
    script.src = 'https://api.zenovay.com/z.js';
    script.setAttribute('data-tracking-code', 'YOUR_TRACKING_CODE');
    document.head.appendChild(script);
  }
}

Privacy mode itself is controlled via dashboard Settings → Privacy. If you need different behavior per region, configure this through the dashboard or conditionally load/skip the tracker entirely based on user consent.

Additional Privacy Options

Respect Do Not Track

Zenovay respects DNT by default. No additional attribute is needed. If you need to override this behavior:

<script
  data-tracking-code="YOUR_TRACKING_CODE"
  data-ignore-dnt="true"
  src="https://api.zenovay.com/z.js"
></script>

When DNT is enabled and respected, tracking is disabled entirely.

Global Privacy Control (GPC)

GPC is respected by default, just like DNT. When a visitor's browser sends a GPC signal, Zenovay automatically honors it. No script attribute is needed.

Combining Privacy Options

Privacy mode, IP anonymization, and URL parameter stripping are all configured in the dashboard under Settings → Privacy. Your script tag remains simple:

<script
  defer
  data-tracking-code="YOUR_TRACKING_CODE"
  src="https://api.zenovay.com/z.js"
></script>

Note: DNT and GPC are respected by default -- no attribute needed. Use data-ignore-dnt="true" only to override this behavior.

Dashboard Changes

Privacy Mode Indicators

When viewing data from privacy mode:

"Privacy Mode" badge shown
Returning visitor metrics hidden
User journey features disabled
Clear indication of data limitations

Filtering

Filter: Tracking Mode
├── All Traffic
├── Standard Mode Only
└── Privacy Mode Only

Legal Implications

Privacy mode is designed to not process personal data:

No persistent identifiers
No IP storage
Can rely on legitimate interest
Consent banner not required

CCPA

Privacy mode reduces personal information collection:

No "sale" of data
Minimal tracking footprint
Easier compliance

ePrivacy

Cookie rules don't apply when:

No cookies are set
No local storage used
No device fingerprinting

Configuration via API

Enable for Website

curl -X PATCH "https://api.zenovay.com/api/v1/websites/your-website-id" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "privacy_mode": true,
    "ip_anonymization": "full"
  }'

Note: DNT and GPC are always respected by default and do not need to be enabled.

Check Current Settings

curl -X GET "https://api.zenovay.com/api/v1/websites/your-website-id" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Best Practices

Implementation

Start with privacy mode if unsure about consent
Add consent management if you need more features
Document your choice in privacy policy

Transparency

Include in privacy policy:

We use privacy-focused analytics that:
- Does not use cookies
- Does not store your IP address
- Cannot track you across visits
- Does not create a personal profile

This allows us to understand how our website is used
without collecting personal data.

Regular Review

Audit your tracking setup quarterly
Ensure configuration matches intent
Update documentation as needed

Troubleshooting

Data Seems Wrong

Privacy mode causes:

Higher unique visitor counts
Lower returning visitor counts
Inaccurate session duration

This is expected behavior, not a bug.

Features Not Working

These don't work in privacy mode:

User identification
Conversion attribution
User journey tracking
Funnel analysis

GPC/DNT Detection

Verify detection:

console.log('DNT:', navigator.doNotTrack);
console.log('GPC:', navigator.globalPrivacyControl);

Privacy-First Tracking Mode