MetaMetrics: A Refresher on MetaMask’s Analytics System

To help improve the usability of the decentralized web, MetaMask includes an opt-in analytics system in our extension on all browsers.

To help improve the usability of the decentralized web, MetaMask includes an opt-in analytics system in our extension on all browsers.

Let’s get a few points out of the way. Below are the steps we take to ensure that MetaMask respects your privacy:

• MetaMetrics is manual opt-in only. After opt-in, you can opt-out anytime.
• MetaMetrics does not collect sensitive (PII) data from users: No seed words, no public addresses, no private keys, no account balances, and no data outside of the extension and mobile wallet. (And no, we aren’t reading your tabs).
• MetaMetrics data is only used for guiding development by better understanding of how people use the product. We will not profit off of your data. Ever.
• Data collected will be anonymous. Individual data points are deleted in compliance with GDPR (1 month) and CCPA (45 days) regulations.
• Data is occasionally aggregated and shared with the community-at-large, but is not shared with any 3rd party data services.
• Our codebase continues to be open source and open to audits at our GitHub.

Our brand mission is one that empowers individuals through interactions based on consent, privacy, and free association. Protecting user’s privacy and building the most secure software is paramount. Yet we want to make Web3 a simple and enjoyable experience, one that behaves as you’d expect. For this, we need data on when errors occur and what features are popular. We realize that any form of data collection, no matter how consensual, is rightly viewed with suspicion. However, as the ecosystem grows, it is important to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions. This data complements qualitative data gathered from other forms of ongoing research, such as user interviews and community awareness. In this space, where the possibilities of new features and improvements are endless, smart prioritization is a must.

With that done, let’s explain things in detail!

What is MetaMetrics?

MetaMetrics is an analytics platform, powered by Segment and Mixpanel that aims to collect information on non-sensitive user events to help us improve the software for MetaMask users.

When a user opts-in to MetaMetrics, their local MetaMask instance will send specific events of the application to the Segment and Mixpanel services. For example, when an individual clicks a certain button, receives an error message, or closes out of sending a transaction, that event is recorded and sent to Segment and Mixpanel. This data then appears on our dashboard on Mixpanel and allows us to view these metrics, both from an individual anonymized level and from an aggregated level.

No data such as public accounts, private keys, secret recovery phrase, or balances will ever reach us or Segment or Mixpanel’s servers. That data continues to stay exclusively on your machine. IP addresses are obfuscated (e.g. 192.xxx.xxx.xxx). If you opted in, data collected is limited to the MetaMask application, with exception of information on your OS and browser brand/version.

Why MetaMetrics?

By opting-in, users will help us answer questions such as:

• What features do people use the most?
• What parts of the application do people run into the most trouble with?
• Where do people drop off when completing certain actions?

Three years ago, when the ecosystem was still young and our development team was smaller, it was relatively easy to feel the heartbeat of what users needed. Our users were dapp developers and crypto enthusiasts — two audiences that we understood well and already communicated with.

However, the ecosystem has shifted towards a more dynamic and diverse group of users. Users who are not as crypto-savvy. Users who are more dapp-centric than investment-centric. Users from a growing number of international locations. As we continue to build a product that lowers the barrier of entry into blockchain technology, we must serve these users as well.

What Happens If I Opt Out of MetaMetrics?

We understand that this space contains plenty of privacy-minded users when it comes to data collection — we respect their stance fully. We will never opt users into MetaMask MetaMetrics automatically without their explicit opt-in consent. That is why we are committed to an opt-in model that has information readily available and easy to understand. If for any reason that you would like to opt-out, the option is immediate.

Your selected option for being part of our Metrics program will not affect your MM experience in any way.

Let’s build a better product and ecosystem together!

This is a newer version of this article that was published in 2019.