So the new General Data Protection Regulation comes into effect on May 25th and chances are you’ve had loads of emails asking whether you want to be on a mailing list or whether you can update your email preferences.
If you have your own website or you’re a webdeveloper then you need to take some action to ensure you are ‘GDPR-compliant’. If you do your research you will notice that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to GDPR compliance, it depends on what data you use and how.
To avoid repeating sound advice here are some excellent links which explain GDPR from a variety of angles including if you have a WordPress site, an Ecommerce store or you’re a webdeveloper:
What the heck is GDPR really about?
A brief explanation of what it is and why it’s supposed to be so important. In short it’s meant to give us more access and control to our data held by third parties. Although GDPR affects all companies who deal with EU residents (including the UK!) this regulation is really aimed at the big internet [American] corporations.
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/smedataprotect/index_en.htm
Help with GDPR for a WordPress user
If you have a WordPress website then you’re probably looking for a GDPR plugin to do all the boring stuff for you. WP GDPR Compliance is an excellent plugin which makes life easier on anyone with a WordPress website.
If you want more options have a look at Pagely’s blog post:
https://pagely.com/blog/gdpr-wordpress-2018-resources/
Updating your Ecommerce store for GDPR
If you run an online shop then you will be storing data in different ways and your GDPR compliance will reflect this. Here are some great resources to help you – they are Woocommerce orientated but could apply to any store:
https://woocommerce.com/2017/12/gdpr-compliance-woocommerce/
https://businessbloomer.com/how-to-make-a-woocommerce-website-gdpr-compliant-12-steps/
Quick pointers for GDPR
- It’s all about communication – make it clear what data you are using and how
- Make sure your forms request consent if you are going to use and store the data
- Update your privacy policy and terms and conditions accordingly
- Ask your customers to opt-in to any mailing lists you have rather than presuming consent
- The latest update to WordPress (4.9.6) has new inbuilt tools to assist with GDPR compliance – ‘Export personal data’ and ‘Erase personal data’
If you have any specific questions get in touch!