Google Fonts is a popular web font service for designers. However, the privacy of using Google Fonts is questionable. Google Fonts violated privacy regulations and might not be as safe as you would expect. In this blog, we will take a look at Google Fonts and how to use them safely and properly.
What are Google Fonts?
Google Fonts are free web fonts by Google. It offers various typefaces for web developers and designers to use on websites. These fonts are hosted on the servers of Google. The fonts are easy to use and make websites look better. Developers can add these fonts to their websites, and customers will see them when they visit them. It is a simple way to improve website typography and keep it consistent.
Implications of Google Fonts
Google Fonts may seem harmless. However, it does bring some difficulties. Google Fonts can slow down your website because it needs extra requests. This makes customers wait longer. Another implication of using Google Fonts is that Google can change or stop the service. As an organisation, you are depending on Google. This could be risky as well. The last and biggest risk when using Google Fonts is that Google might collect personal data. When a website uses Google Fonts, the font will be downloaded from Google servers, giving Google insight in your data.
Google Fonts and GDPR
Google Fonts is a tool that gives websites different fonts to use. Google Fonts takes notes on requests whenever customers ask for fonts. On top of that, Google Fonts gets the needed files from its servers and sends them to customers so they can see the fonts. During this process, Google’s servers can keep a record of the customer’s IP address, which could be used for analysis.
Under the GDPR, an IP address is considered personal information capable of identifying customers. When collecting and sharing this personal data, as Google Fonts does, this is seen as a violation. This is because of the rule that you cannot collect and share personal data.
Why using Google Fonts can break customer trust
Organisations that make use of Google Fonts need to be careful not to break customer trust. The data collection practices of Google might make customers concerned about their privacy. These concerns can break customer trust, as customers are not sure if their personal data is safe at your company. To maintain trust among customers, there needs to be clarity. It needs to be clear how the customer data is used and what that means to them personally.
How to make Google Fonts compliant?
There is one good way to make Google Fonts compliant and safe to use. This is done by hosting Google Fonts locally. When hosting Google Fonts locally, you will reduce your reliance on third parties. This can be beneficial for both security and reliability reasons. Hosting the fonts locally will even give you and your company more control. This way, your website does not depend on Google.
Conclusion
Google Fonts can be risky when not used properly, but compliance and online safety are possible. There is a key strategy that can give you that safety. The key is hosting Google Fonts locally for security and control. Hosting it locally will give you and your company more freedom. You are no longer relying on third parties, which gives you full control. This approach allows the responsible use of Google Fonts with a good balance between efficiency and privacy.
How does Nixon help you comply?
When you manage many websites, you may not realize if you are using Google Fonts or if Google has your data. Because of this, you are not in full control. The Nixon Platform can get you back in the driver’s seat.
Nixon Digital helps scan third-party technologies for your entire website portfolio. With Nixon Digital, you can understand the scripts, cookies, and functionalities that are running on all your websites. After scanning, we provide an overview of the findings. Our platform tracks requests from your website to other domains and their actions.