Just last month, Google let us know that they were working on "a global browser based plug-in to allow users to opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics." It's now here, and ready for users of Chrome, Firefox 3.5 and 3.6, and Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

Head over to the Opt-out Add-on page on tools.google.com, install the add-on, and you'll no longer send data back to Google via the Analytics ga.js script. The Google Chrome extension has already been downloaded more than 2,700 times. While the installation page says Firefox 3.5+ is supported, the page reported an error when I visited using Firefox 3.7 alpha. You can, however, download the .xpi from Softpedia if you're running Minefield.


Google also announced yesterday that webmasters now have the option of anonymizing IP addresses prior to sending analytics information to their servers. The boys in Mountain View are referring to these initiatives as "additional steps to provide even more choice and transparency for both website owners and users."