Title: Parse.ly data privacy
Author: staff
Published: August 1, 2022
Last modified: July 20, 2026

---

#  Parse.ly data privacy

By default, the Parse.ly tracking code collects certain standard information about
a reader including the information noted below.

 * **ip_address**: IP address of the user; used for bot detection and geographic
   segments
 * **user_agent:** Identifier for the user’s device; used for device analytics (
   mobile vs desktop)
 * **first_party_uuid**: Site-specific identifier (UUID) for user; used in loyalty
   analytics (new vs returning)

Customers may choose to selectively disable the tracking of `ip_address` to offer
greater privacy for site visitors. An [example implementation is here](https://docs.parse.ly/privacy/#h-example-implementation-of-disabling-ip-address-tracking-per-visitor).

Parse.ly can also be configured so as to disable the tracking of `ip_address` on
a per-visitor basis when using our standard javascript tracker.

## What does disabling ip address tracking mean?

When you disable `ip_address` tracking for a specific site, Site ID, or visitor,
we perform a hashing algorithm on the original ip address before storing it in our
system and thus we do not store the full IP address.  We do store enough information
from the IP address to perform approximate geographic segmentation as part of our
services.

## Effect of disabling `ip_address`

Disabling `ip_address` prevents bot detection and blocking actions Parse.ly may 
take, but may also provide greater privacy for site visitors.

Disabling `ip_address` may make our geographic segmentation feature slightly less
accurate. Geographic segmentation is most often used with our audience segmentation
feature.

To disable `ip_address`, contact us via the [Parse.ly Support](https://support.parse.ly/hc/en-us)
portal.

## How and where is visitor data securely stored?

Data is immediately processed in a distributed infrastructure located in several
data centers in the United States (located in the states of Virginia and Oregon),
where it is archived and stored long-term.

All data is stored on secure Linux servers, which are regularly patched and upgraded.
These servers are behind a virtual private cloud networking setup. We rely on public
cloud infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in place of our own data
centers. AWS handles  physical security for that infrastructure.  AWS provides the
following [ public documentation on cloud security](https://aws.amazon.com/security/)
and its infrastructure is [ISO 27001](https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/iso-27001-faqs/)
compliant.

Data is also backed up to a cloud distributed data store with 99.999999999% durability,
and is only accessible by authorized systems using secure keys. This distributed
data store is spread across several data centers clustered geographically in the
states of Virginia and Ohio in the United States.

## Do you have a public privacy policy?

Yes. Parse.ly publishes its [privacy policy here](https://wpvip.com/privacy/).

## How is data aggregated and anonymized?

Parse.ly aggregates and anonymizes customer data for the purpose of studying web-
wide attention data. For example, aggregated and anonymized data is used for our
[ data studies](https://www.parse.ly/resources/data-studies) which are published
to inform media industry trends for customers and the press.

## Is Parse.ly certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework?

Yes. Parse.ly is covered under Automattic Inc.’s certification which can be checked
[here](https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/list).

## Example implementation of disabling ip address tracking per visitor

To disable ip address tracking on a per visitor basis you should define a `PARSELY`
object with an `onload` function **prior** to the code for the default implementation.
The `onload` function should call `PARSELY.setConfigOptions` and pass it an object
with the keys and values you’d like to overwrite for this visitor. Currently, the
only valid key is `track_ip_addresses`. The only valid values are `true` or `false`.

Use of the `setConfigOptions` function requires `autotrack: false` per the[ dynamic tracking](https://docs.parse.ly/dynamic-tracking/)
documentation.

    ```lang-js
    <script type="application/javascript">
    function shouldTrackAddress () {
      // returns true if we should track IP Address for this visitor
    };

    window.PARSELY = window.PARSELY || {
      autotrack: false,
      onload: function () {
        PARSELY.setConfigOptions({
          track_ip_addresses: shouldTrackAddress()
        });
        PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({
          url: location.href,
          urlref: document.referrer,
          js: 1
        });
      }
    };
    </script>
    <!-- Normal Parse.ly integration code goes here -->
    ```

Last updated: July 20, 2026