What is GDPR? And what should I care?
The hot topic that is talked today, especially if you are living in the European Union is around the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I tried to find some articles online that can explain this in plain English and see how this regulation is affecting small businesses in Australia that don’t have an audience in Europe. And the most important thing, what do we need to do to be compliant and avoid the fees (that could go up to 4% of a company’s annual global revenue or 20 million euros).
In a nutshell, the General Data Protection Regulation is a law that is effective since today, the 25th of May, and it allows the people in EU to have control over their personal data that is stored on various websites. That’s why lately you are flooded with emails and popups from all the websites about the change in their new privacy policy, informing you about all those changes they went to do in order to be compliant. I think that this initiative is to make big companies protect the rights of their visitors/clients.
When I first read this a question pop into my head: “is GDPR affecting my WordPress website?”
And the short answer is YES (if you have visitors from European Union countries).
Next question was “Is WordPress GDPR Compliant?”
The latest WordPress release 4.9.6 is GDPR Compliant. But in order that your website to be compliant there is some work to be done because is more than likely that you have some plugins that store or process data like analytics, contact forms, membership sites, etc.
So please check with your developers to see if your website is GDPR compliant and if it’s not, work towards compliance and get it done asap.
Helpful links:
- GDPR and MonsterInsights – everything you need to know
- GDPR Enhancement Features for Your WordPress Forms
- GDPR Compliance for WooCommerce Stores
- GDPR and OptinMonster– Good read if you have email marketing opt-in forms
Legal Disclaimer / Disclosure
We are not lawyers. Nothing on this article and nothing on this website should be considered legal advice. If you want to be safe, it’s best to consult an internet law attorney to derermine if you are in compliance with all applicable laws for your case.
Happy compliance,
Dorin – your friendly web developer!
