Tracking for IE 11 not working - even after suggested change to browsers.yml

Hello,

I am successfully collecting data for all browsers with the exception of IE 11.

Searching the forums I came across this: Browser Detection Internet Explorer 11.0 (IE11) · Issue #4414 · matomo-org/matomo · GitHub however the suggested change has not resolved the issue.

I have the latest version installed (2.0.2)

Thanks in advance,

SR

Please upgrade to latest 2.0.3-b4 and it should work? we’ve fixed it since

Hi Matt,

I cannot find the beta you suggested. In the Piwik panel, it says it is the latest update.

I went to github (GitHub - matomo-org/matomo: Liberating Web Analytics. Star us on Github? +1. Matomo is the leading open alternative to Google Analytics that gives you full control over your data. Matomo lets you easily collect data from websites, apps & the IoT and visualise this data and extract insights. Privacy is built-in. We love Pull Requests!) uploaded the latest project to my server and it is still not registering my test computer in Win 7 IE 11.

Where can I get the beta you mentioned?

Much appreciated!

SR

Update:

Removed Piwik from my server, dropped the database. Cleared out all files. Uploaded the beta suggested above, fresh install, same result.

IE 11 not detected.

Any help would be appreciated.

SR

did you try the change in the user agent i recommended in previous post?

Yes I did, I followed: Browser Detection Internet Explorer 11.0 (IE11) · Issue #4414 · matomo-org/matomo · GitHub

Removed, resinstalled the beta as asked above with the same results.

I went back and remodified the file browsers.yml, refreshed httpd, mysqld with no changes.

Thanks in advance,

SR

what is user agent you are trying to capture? can you paste a complete line from your log file of it?

That’s just the thing, my visits in IE 11 are as if they have not occurred. They do not register at all. If I saw an unknown browser then I’d have a better starting point to troubleshoot.

If I visit with any other browser, they appear instantly, with IE 11 nothing. I should mention that has been done from 2 different machines in 2 different locations.

Thanks in advance,

SR

do you have any privacy settings on like do not track in ie 11?

Unfortunately no, all settings are default on both computers. I even reset all settings to be sure.

Would it matter that my ecommerce site I’m tracking is Magento 1.8 ? (Using Adrian’s extension: Piwik Ecommerce Extension for Magento - Analytics Platform - Matomo)

I should mention I messaged him on the magento forums and he said he has tested quickly in 1.8 and had no issue.

Thanks for your help!

SR

Do not track was enabled by default in IE10, and may have carried over to IE11. Please review this document: Do Not Track Test Page

Hi Adrian,

Your assessment is absolutely bang on. Once I disabled the feature (I was previously looking under “Manage Add-Ons” -> “Tracking Protection” (All disabled) there is an additional setting under Tools / Advanced: “Send Do Not Track requests to site you visit in Internet Explorer*” this is what needed to be unchecked for Piwik to detect the site browsing.

Now my next question is:

How can this be addressed? Internet Explorer is has a huge portion of the browser market and if it’s visits cannot be logged, then a lot of data will be missing.

Is it possible to track a users activity with Piwik without knowing what browser the visitor is using? I personally do not care about what browsers are being used, only what products or pages are popular and how my site is being accessed.

Thanks in advance,

SR

this is the new entire concern any analytics company has. people are using tools that effectively block the ability to track them. if a user has this on then you are stuck as the user has determined this. some counter measures are to force peolp to login to the site but its still early days as some can try to encourage people to turn this DNT off. i would take the data you have and if possible compare it to a 3rd party measurement system like comscore or the like. it really all boils to what are you looking to measure and mine from your data.

gltu

As lesjokolat has explained the fact someone wants to not be tracked is a problem all analytics companies face. Even trying to track the fact people do not want to be tracked subverts their will. The ie11 market share by most reports is only 10%. More and more users do block trackers, so you need to use any analytics solution for looking at trends rather than get hung up on tracking every visitor exactly.

I’d argue that the numbers are higher, but it looks like IE 11 is in fact about 10%, however IE 10 is another 10% which brings the total to in or around 20% of the browser market. I see what you guys are saying about concentrating on the trends rather than recording all activity, but since my site isn’t very high traffic, I’d like to try and capture as much information as possible.

Can apache be configured to ignore these “requests” ?

EDIT: After some digging, I found code authored by Roy T. Fielding CREDIT to put in my apache config that will override these requests. I modified it to now include IE 11.


<IfModule setenvif_module>
BrowserMatch "MSIE 10.0;" bad_DNT
BrowserMatch "MSIE 11.0;" bad_DNT
BrowserMatch "Trident/7.0; rv:11.0" bad_DNT
</IfModule>
<IfModule headers_module>
RequestHeader unset DNT env=bad_DNT
</IfModule>


I should also add that while I can see that this method is controversial, most (and in my case) Terms of use policies cover this kind of detailed tracking.

Thanks for helping me fully understand the cause as to why it wasn’t being tracked.

SR

Is there a case that a user was not recorded? can you paste the full user agent here (or user agentS if you know several that bug). we’ll investigate for sure!

When I installed Piwik, it would not track IE 11 at all. All visits were invisible. Only after I added code to my Apache config file were the visits recorded.

How do I capture what you are looking for to submit a bug?

This is not a bug. Piwik worked as intended. A user with Do Not Track should not be tracked and their privacy should be respected.

So the fact that I do not see any activity without modifying apache is normal?

If yes, we will agree to disagree. I see where some might think it’s an invasion of privacy but I really don’t see the difference between this and pouring through apache log files or counters for popular products / pages.

Again, most sites (including mine) include this information in the terms of use / terms of service.

i really like the apache method you propose its an easy way to re enable the ie dnt setting to off if it ewrks. as long as you have user terms on site I think you re ok.
from a legal perspective.