{"id":160,"date":"2025-06-17T12:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/us\/2025\/06\/17\/the-future-of-cloud-driven-data-in-a-privacy-first-europe\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T12:54:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:54:13","slug":"the-future-of-cloud-driven-data-in-a-privacy-first-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/blog\/the-future-of-cloud-driven-data-in-a-privacy-first-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"See the future of cloud-driven data in a privacy-first Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"http:\/\/taggrs.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TAGGRS<\/a> for UpCloud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How can we unlock data\u2019s full potential in a privacy-first world, while keeping data within the EU?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why data collection is getting harder<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three core developments have made traditional tracking unreliable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Browser blocking<\/strong>: Browsers like Safari and Firefox now block third-party cookies by default.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adblockers<\/strong>: Widely adopted extensions stop tracking scripts before they load.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulations<\/strong>: Laws like GDPR and frameworks like Consent Mode V2 demand user consent before collecting data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These changes are necessary for user privacy, but they create major hurdles for businesses dependent on data for optimization and decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why better data means better performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If your tracking misses 30% of purchases, your ad platform can\u2019t learn what works and your inventory decisions may miss the mark.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If conversion data is incomplete, automated bidding strategies fail to identify high-value customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For these reasons it\u2019s becoming harder to collect reliable data, while marketing algorithms depend more than ever on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Server-side tracking: The first-party advantage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/media\/client-vs-server-side-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Visual showing the differences between client-side tracking and server-side tracking.\" class=\"wp-image-55565\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One solution that is both effective and privacy-compliant is <strong>server-side tracking<\/strong>. This method routes tracking through a company\u2019s own server, turning previously third-party data into first-party data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Benefits include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ability to maintain data accuracy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoidance of third-party cookie limitations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Full control over what is tracked and shared<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Popular tools like Google Tag Manager (sGTM) make implementation relatively straightforward and low risk, especially when combined with plugins or platforms like TAGGRS. <a href=\"https:\/\/taggrs.io\/en\/gtm-server-side-tagging\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check out how to set up SST here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/media\/first-vs-third-party-cookies-1024x631.png\" alt=\"Informational table that contains information about cookies.\" class=\"wp-image-55567\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Privacy by design, powered by European infrastructure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But where that data lives matters just as much as how it&#8217;s collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In partnering with UpCloud, TAGGRS ensures our customer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>Hosting data within Europe isn\u2019t just a technical decision. It\u2019s 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\u2019s how you build real trust in a privacy-first world<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Niels Olivier, CEO at TAGGRS<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Performance and privacy: A new standard<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gone are the days when businesses had to choose between performance and compliance. Server-side tracking hosted on a European cloud delivers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More accurate and comprehensive event tracking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Greater flexibility and control over data pipelines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Full compliance with GDPR and future-proof infrastructure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In short, this approach gives businesses the best of both worlds, without compromising on user trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ate Keurentjes is the Head of Marketing at TAGGRS. He focuses on GTM server-side tracking and machine learning. Since 2023, Keurentjes has been writing about the latest developments and trends in online data collection. He is leveraging machine learning to enhance data-driven marketing strategies and has spoken at several digital marketing events. Ate is committed to helping businesses optimize their tracking strategies and improve their data management practices. | <a href=\"https:\/\/atekeurentjes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Personal website<\/a><br><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/media\/ate-keurentjes-taggrs.png\" alt=\"Profile picture of Ate Keurentjes, Head of Marketing at TAGGRS.\" class=\"wp-image-55535\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TAGGRS for UpCloud With the end of third-party cookies, tighter European data regulations, and widespread adblocker use, collecting reliable website data has never been more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":57066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"4003,430,562,451,391,847","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Blocked by a filter function","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-data-sovereignty","category-guest-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcloud.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}