... which you can entirely do by analyzing web server logs.

You dont need google for this, pushing your users (with violation of GDPR consent) into google monstrosity. Dont do that, I block every freaking google domain from cdns, fonts to analytics.

But I don't block 1st party analytics.

I have no reason to. I have visited your site, I dont have anything against YOU following what I read. It is your site. But you will ask me for consent for giving those data to google. And I will say 'no'. And I am not the only one.

Just to inform you, that the person/entity that allows Google to gain access to PII data is directly responsible for this - if google is fined due to GDPR violation, you can get fined to by providing it the way to get users data. They will survive. You might not.

Have your analytics, but you will not sell my soul (which GDPR explicitly forbids you - you are handing over my PII data to 3rd party that is known for violating it and that makes you accomplice) for you having your graphs.

You can get those data from web server logs. You will have all the data that you need. Actually more data, as no one will block them.

Needing "google analytics" is just a huge, giant, hype driven, lie. You don't need them to analyze what you already have in YOUR logs.

chaos_emergent: please do explain, what data google analytics is offering to you than what is already in your server logs? Without violating GDPR even more? Yes, you can surely track something more, again "on your side". Dont give it to google as it WILL get blocked and you will have a distorted picture of how your site is being used. If you want real data, skip 3rd party analytics. Found a way to require to be unblocked? I will skip your site, you have just lost a user. A paying user if the content is worth the money. And sites with selling my data for a graph or two are not worth it.