The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is the privacy watchdog in the UK. Recently they posted  their interpretation: Cookies – what does ‘good’ look like? And it’s stark reading. That is, they make it quite explicit with one myth – analytics is not defined as necessary or covered under legitimate interest.

From the ICO:
“While we recognise that analytics can provide you with useful information, they are not part of the functionality that the user requests when they use your online servi...