two problems or at least things that confuse me ...

1 - in slot 1 I try to use the token [current-user:uid] (The unique ID of the user account.) but when I press "save configuration" it only gives me error message "The Custom variable value #1 is using the following forbidden tokens with personal identifying information: [current-user:uid].". When removing the brackets [] around the token, it will be accepted without any error message but I guess, the brackets have to be there around a token's name?

is it forbidden to track a custom variable like the userID, which is the user name on my site?

2 - also I only have "session" available as scope, thought I should be able to chooese between "visit" and "page" but maybe i am confusing things now ...

CommentFileSizeAuthor
#11 custom-variables-1176360-6.patch56.08 KBbhosmer

Comments

hass’s picture

Status: Active » Fixed

1. It is not allowed to collect any data that makes a user personal identifyable. Data protection is more important than statistics.

2. Session is currently the only one available in piwik. Piwik maintainers are working on implementing the other two... You can join and help them.

bavarian’s picture

Hass ...

1 - thanks for sharing this

2 - i am not a developer or programmer at all ... so i would not be of good help to these guys

DANKE noch mal !

Status: Fixed » Closed (fixed)

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.

Anonymous’s picture

thanks for this module.
i'm trying to figure out 1) as well for myself.

i would appreciate some hints on this.
It might be true that it's not allowed to collect that type of data in your situation, but there are lots of different scenarios where it's okay to do, like for testing purposes, in non public environment, with non person related variables, in less protective legislations, etc.

hass’s picture

I'm not supporting anybody to break laws in whatever environment you are or feel to be. Using such variables will be blocked whenever possible.

Anonymous’s picture

Lol, I change this to be a feature request to make sure this module will never be used outside of the module authors legislation.

hass’s picture

You may live in a developing country if it comes to data protection, but this does not change anything. Only for the reason that someone is not aware or a law does not explicit forbid something - doesn't make it *right*. Your site may have visitors from other countries and therefore this only counts. This protects your site users from your piring eyes - not your business of collecting every sh** you can grab. We do not develop modules for one, it's for the masses and the masses "have" or at least "should have" a strong feeling about privacy in todays world.

Compared to google analytics there is a world wide rule that forbid you to collect personal identifying data and this is taken over from there as it's only the right way aside of my country rules that are really the most strongest in the world as I know. But with every new day we learn more and more this rules are not yet limiting enough.

Be a good guy - respect other people privacy. In a day when someone abused your personal data you may understand the implications.

Anonymous’s picture

Are you sure that the Google Analytics rule applies here? Because it's self hosted (vs 3rd party with GA) and Drupal already makes a connection between User ID and IP. In my case Piwiki sits in the database right besides it. So the data that you say is illegal to collect is there already. See {sessions} table

i just want to automate what i do manually:

-find user ID of user
-check sessions ID for IP
-check Piwik USer log for IP
-user browser/OS to solve bug reports

hass’s picture

Piwik server can also run in hosted environments that may be located in the US...

nlisgo’s picture

Another use case for allowing the user id to be set as a custom variable is for a research project where the user has given their permission for allowing User segmentation of analytics data.

Data is only collected when the user is logged in and is transferred to piwik securely.

bhosmer’s picture

StatusFileSize
new56.08 KB

Try this patch. Thanks @liberatr for the pairing.

bhosmer’s picture

Category: support » feature
Status: Closed (fixed) » Patch (to be ported)

Reopening due to user requests.

hass’s picture

Category: feature » support
Status: Patch (to be ported) » Closed (fixed)

Don't reopen old cases please. No idea what this patch is for as this case is a support case.

bhosmer’s picture

Category: support » feature
Status: Closed (fixed) » Needs review

@haas, thanks for you initial work on this module. If you will read the origin title of this issue, "Using tokens as CUSTOM VARIABLES", and then read the title of my patch, "custom-variables-1176360-6.patch", I think it might be pretty self-explanatory as to what this patch is for.

This patch implements the requests from the comments above to utilize tokens a custom variables. I am reopening this as a feature request, since that is what this issue originally was.

I'm not really sure how you can mark it as "fixed" since you have at least three users requesting this and as the module stands now, it isn't fixed.

Status: Needs review » Needs work

The last submitted patch, custom-variables-1176360-6.patch, failed testing.

hass’s picture

Category: feature » support
Status: Needs work » Closed (fixed)

This case was support. The module supports tokens and custom vars. No patch required.

sshakir’s picture

Status: Closed (fixed) » Needs review

Status: Needs review » Needs work

The last submitted patch, 11: custom-variables-1176360-6.patch, failed testing.

hass’s picture

Issue summary: View changes
Status: Needs work » Closed (fixed)