How can I collect anonymous visitor data if I don’t use Piwik PRO Tag Manager and Consent Manager?

If you don’t use Piwik PRO Tag Manager and Consent Manager, you can still collect anonymous visitor data. All you need to do is apply a few JavaScript methods. 

You can choose two options: (1) collect data without using cookies or (2) collect data using a 30-minute cookie. In this article, we’ll explain how to set up each option.

Collect data without using cookies

To collect data without using cookies, follow these steps:

1. If there is no visitor consent, use the methods listed below. Run them before the first page view is sent or when the Piwik PRO tracker is initialized.

   _paq.push(['disableCookies']); // disables all visitor cookies (_pk_id and _pk_ses)
   _paq.push(['setUserIsAnonymous', 1]); // removes IP address and restricts geolocation to country only

2. If there is visitor consent, use the methods listed below.

   _paq.push(['enableCookies']); // enables all visitor cookies (_pk_id and _pk_ses)
   _paq.push(['deanonymizeUser']); // immediately sends a deanonymization ping (especially useful for single-page applications)

   Note: This setup uses a session hash to recognize sessions that belong to the same visitor.

Collect data using a 30-minute cookie

To collect data using a 30-minute cookie, follow these steps:

1. If there is no visitor consent, use the methods listed below. Run them before the first page view is sent or when the Piwik PRO tracker is initialized.

   _paq.push(['setVisitorCookieTimeout', 1800]); // sets the _pk_id cookie timeout to 30 minutes; _pk_ses is set to 30 minutes by default
   _paq.push(['setUserIsAnonymous', 1]); // removes IP address and restricts geolocation to country only

2. If there is visitor consent, use the methods listed below.

   _paq.push(['deanonymizeUser']); // immediately sends a deanonymization ping (especially useful for single-page applications)
   _paq.push(['setVisitorCookieTimeout', 33955200]); // sets the _pk_id cookie timeout to 13 months; _pk_ses is set to 30 minutes by default

3. (Optional) By default, a session hash is used in this setup. You can turn it off in Administration > Sites & apps > Privacy > Compliances > Use a session hash (off) if you don’t want to use it.