User data. Why does Compass collect user data?

As an analytics platform, Compass collects information on user behaviour in order to understand the popularity and engagement of content to inform publishers’ editorial, product, and monetization strategies.

What data does Compass use?

Compass can store a cookie ID, an anonymised IP (masking the last octet) and, if the client provides it, a user id that may allow us to identify the user across devices.

This UUID (Unique User Identification) is a sequence of numbers and/or letters, is associated with a reader’s device/browser for each user that allows to track user navigation and actions between sessions.

For media groups with multiple websites, Compass can also use third-party cookies to sync browsers between multiple sites.

How long is this data stored for?

Raw information is stored for 30 days while aggregated information for statistical purposes lasts as long as the client contract.

The raw information is stored for this 30 day period as it’s required for user scoring, after this period it is deleted.

Does Compass require user consent to collect this data?

Most of the information that Compass uses is aggregated and anonymized, so does not require user consent to collect.

In Compass, only user recency, frequency, volume and user preferences are stored in a user-by-user schema.

Active user consent is required to collect this information as it can be related to a particular user.

If the user chooses to opt-out of sharing this data, this information is not stored or calculated and the user is classified as Private.

You can read more on how Compass manages user consent.