Sounds like this will block hosted analytics solutions like Google Analytics, but the same data is available to the first party site if they roll their own analytics. In this case you're not really adding any protection for the user, just disadvantaging smaller publishers in understanding how their site is being used
> block hosted analytics solutions like Google Analytics
That's the goal. The pattern-of-life[1] analysis that GA enables is an incredible long-term risk.
Allowing one entity to log almost all of your internet activities into one aggregated database creates a massive amount of potential-social-power. Even if Google isn't currently converting that potential-power into an abusive form, the very existence of that data in one location creates a huge temptation for thieves and governments with national security letters.
> roll their own analytics
Server logs only give you a view of the traffic to one website. There is a huge difference between one business knowing you use their service and a 3rd party carefully logging your entire daily schedule.
[1] I highly recommend reading http://labs.rs/en/metadata/ which unfortunately didn't get much attention when it was recently posted to HN. I suspect most people are still thinking way too small when judging what is possible from "just metadata".
Google takes data from other sites/sources into account when it delivers data via google analytics, it is unquestionably tracking users from site to site.
It adds plenty of protection for the user to block it.
I have no idea how people can look at the demographic information GA delivers and then conclude it isn't tracking users around the web...
I use browser plugins to block ads and third-party trackers on all of my devices. I'm also a web developer, and I regularly set up Google Analytics accounts for my clients.
I agree that the proliferation of tracker blocking could be an issue for smaller publishers and businesses in the near future. But as a privacy-conscious internet user, I'm excited about the vacuum this might leave for better self-hosted options.
I said nothing about cookies. I said "third-party tracking". If I don't visit google's website and if they are tracking me on someone else's website then they are a third party. And I will block them if I can.
The issue that many of us are worried about is being tracked across the entire internet by a single entity who's site some of us don't even visit (definition of third party there). We don't care if this is done by what you call first party cookies, or what your call third party cookies, or measuring our mouse movements, or finger printing our browser, or just by watching us through our webcams/sending someone to our house to take notes we don't want it period. And we will block whatever means we can that these entities use to track us.
