Overview
When choosing a tracking infrastructure, privacy and compliance are just as critical as performance and feature lists. iOS 14.5+ restrictions, the spread of ad blockers, and GDPR/KVKK regulations directly impact data collection strategy.
Scout, a lightweight CDP developed by DNOMIA, solves these problems at the architectural level: first-party data collection, EU-hosted infrastructure, cookieless analytics mode, and consent-aware destination management.
For detailed information about Scout’s features and e-commerce integrations, read Scout: Stop E-Commerce Data Loss with Server-Side Tracking.
First-Party Data Collection
Traditional tracking tools (GA, Meta Pixel, GTM) load scripts from third-party domains and send data to their own servers. This creates two fundamental problems:
- Ad blockers block third-party requests
- ITP (Intelligent Tracking Prevention) limits third-party cookies to 7 days
Scout’s approach is different:
| Method | Traditional Tracking | Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Script source | analytics.google.com, connect.facebook.net | yourdomain.com (CNAME) |
| Data transmission | To third-party servers | To your own subdomain |
| Cookie setting | JavaScript (client-side) | HTTP header (server-side) |
| Ad blocker impact | Blocked | Not blocked |
| ITP cookie lifetime | 7 days | Unlimited (first-party) |
Scout allows you to connect your own subdomain via CNAME record. All data collection traffic flows through your own domain. From the browser’s perspective, this is a first-party request.
Privacy by Design
Scout treats privacy not as an afterthought feature, but as a principle embedded in its architectural decisions.
Consent-Aware Architecture
Every event is processed according to consent state:
- analytics: Only anonymous analytics data is collected. No personal data.
- full: With user consent, personal data (email, phone) is included and can be forwarded to ad platforms.
- denied/pending: No personal data is collected, only cookieless ping.
Data Deletion
The /v1/forget endpoint allows you to delete all data for a specific user from the system. This satisfies GDPR’s “right to be forgotten” requirement.
Data Minimization
Scout collects only the necessary data based on consent state. In analytics mode, IP addresses are hashed and personal identifiers are not stored.
EU-Hosted Infrastructure
Scout infrastructure is hosted in Hetzner data centers in Falkenstein, Germany.
- Persistent data (database, file storage) is stored in the EU
- GDPR Articles 44-49 “adequate protection” requirements are automatically met
- No issues with KVKK’s restrictions on international data transfers
For comparison: Google Analytics transfers data to the US, Segment transfers data to the US, Stape transfers data to Google Cloud (region selectable but defaults to US).
Lightweight SDK: <10KB
Page speed directly affects both user experience and ad performance. Google uses Core Web Vitals metrics as a ranking factor.
| Script | Size (gzip) |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 | ~45KB |
| GTM Container (average) | ~35-60KB |
| GA4 + GTM total | ~80-100KB |
| Meta Pixel | ~25KB |
| Scout SDK | <10KB |
Scout SDK is 3-4x lighter than the GA4 + GTM combination. Here’s why:
- A single SDK sends data to all destinations (no separate scripts per platform)
- Event batching minimizes HTTP requests (3-second window)
- Aggressive minification with Rollup + Terser
- Tree-shaking eliminates unused code
Result: Lower LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) and TBT (Total Blocking Time), better Core Web Vitals, lower bounce rate.
Analytics Without a Cookie Banner
GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive require user consent for tracking tools that collect personal data or write information to the device (cookies). This is why every site using GA4 or Meta Pixel must display a cookie banner.
Scout’s analytics mode eliminates this requirement:
Analytics Tier (No Cookie Banner Required)
- Works without cookies, writes nothing to the device
- Anonymous page views and traffic data
- No personal identifiers stored
- Compliant with GDPR Article 89 (statistical purposes) exemption
Pro Tier (Consent Required)
- Cookie-based tracking with full user identification
- CAPI data delivery to ad platforms
- Identity resolution and customer profiles
- CMP integration (OneTrust, Cookiebot, Iubenda) required
With this two-tier structure: no cookie banner needed for basic analytics, full tracking with user consent for ad optimization.
Data Ownership
With most tracking platforms, your data stays on the platform’s servers. Exporting is limited or costs extra.
Scout is different:
- Your data in your database: Each store’s event data is stored separately
- Export anytime: Bulk export via R2 (Cloudflare)
- No platform lock-in: Your data stays with you even if you leave Scout
- API access: Programmatic access to all your data
Scout vs Server-Side Tracking Alternatives
| Feature | Scout | Stape | GTM Server-Side | Elevar | Tracedock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Managed (SaaS) | Managed / self-host | Self-host (GCP/AWS) | Managed | Managed |
| EU hosting | Hetzner, Germany | Google Cloud | User-dependent | AWS | EU option available |
| First-party CNAME | Yes | Yes | Manual setup | Yes | Yes |
| Cookieless analytics | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Event Merge (client+server) | Automatic | No | No | Partial | No |
| Turkish platform support | Shopier, Ticimax, Tsoft, Ideasoft | No | No | No | No |
| SDK size | <10KB gzip | GTM-dependent | GTM-dependent | ~30KB | ~15KB |
| Consent management | Built-in | External CMP | External CMP | Built-in | External CMP |
| Data ownership | Full (export + API) | Limited | Full (self-host) | Limited | Limited |
GDPR and KVKK Compliance
Scout is designed to comply with the following regulations:
| Regulation | Scout Implementation |
|---|---|
| GDPR Article 5 (data minimization) | Only necessary data collected based on consent tier |
| GDPR Article 17 (right to be forgotten) | /v1/forget endpoint |
| GDPR Articles 44-49 (data transfers) | Persistent data storage in the EU |
| GDPR Article 89 (statistical exemption) | Cookieless analytics mode |
| KVKK Article 9 (international transfers) | Data in EU, Hetzner Germany |
| ePrivacy Directive | No cookies used in analytics mode |
Audit Logs
Via Scout Dashboard:
- Consent state reports
- Event-level consent status tracking
- Destination-level data flow auditing
- Deletion request logs
Next Step
To try Scout’s privacy-first tracking infrastructure, sign up for free at dnomia.app.
For questions or custom integration needs, contact us.