Published on UPCLOUD
With the end of third-party cookies, tighter European data regulations, and widespread adblocker use, collecting reliable website data has never been more complex. Add growing political tensions and legal uncertainties around US-based platforms, and marketers are left asking:
How can we unlock data’s full potential in a privacy-first world, while keeping data within the EU?
Why data collection is getting harder
Three core developments have made traditional tracking unreliable:
- Browser blocking: Browsers like Safari and Firefox now block third-party cookies by default.
- Adblockers: Widely adopted extensions stop tracking scripts before they load.
- Regulations: Laws like GDPR and frameworks like Consent Mode V2 demand user consent before collecting data.
These changes are necessary for user privacy, but they create major hurdles for businesses dependent on data for optimization and decision-making.
Why better data means better performance
Marketing platforms like Google Ads and Meta are heavily algorithm-driven. They rely on clean, complete data to optimize ad delivery, audience targeting, and spend efficiency.
- If your tracking misses 30% of purchases, your ad platform can’t learn what works and your inventory decisions may miss the mark.
- If conversion data is incomplete, automated bidding strategies fail to identify high-value customers.
For these reasons it’s becoming harder to collect reliable data, while marketing algorithms depend more than ever on it.
Server-side tracking: The first-party advantage
One solution that is both effective and privacy-compliant is server-side tracking. This method routes tracking through a company’s own server, turning previously third-party data into first-party data.
Benefits include:
- Ability to maintain data accuracy
- Avoidance of third-party cookie limitations
- Full control over what is tracked and shared
Popular tools like Google Tag Manager (sGTM) make implementation relatively straightforward and low risk, especially when combined with plugins or platforms like TAGGRS. Check out how to set up SST here.
Privacy by design, powered by European infrastructure
Server-side tracking is also a perfect match for privacy-by-design principles. Rather than relying on third-party scripts (e.g., Facebook pixels), data is collected and stored directly on your own domain, making it truly first-party.
But where that data lives matters just as much as how it’s collected.
In partnering with UpCloud, TAGGRS ensures our customer’s data stays protected under EU jurisdiction. Unlike US-based cloud services, which remain subject to US laws like the Cloud Act, even when hosting in Europe! UpCloud guarantees that your customer data remains secure and helps businesses achieve compliance with European data regulation.
“Hosting data within Europe isn’t just a technical decision. It’s a strategic one. As a European company, we believe your customer data should be protected by European laws, stored on European soil, and handled by partners who understand the value of privacy. That’s how you build real trust in a privacy-first world.”
Niels Olivier, CEO at TAGGRS
Performance and privacy: A new standard
Gone are the days when businesses had to choose between performance and compliance. Server-side tracking hosted on a European cloud delivers:
- More accurate and comprehensive event tracking
- Greater flexibility and control over data pipelines
- Full compliance with GDPR and future-proof infrastructure
In short, this approach gives businesses the best of both worlds, without compromising on user trust.
