June 4, 2018

What is the WordPress GDPR update? On May 17th, 2018 the WordPress team released version 4.9.6. The main update in this version is for supporting General Data Protection Regulation requirements. What does it mean in simple, easy to understand terms?

The European Union’s GDPR added a very strict requirement for public info and these requirements took effect May 25th, 2018.

The key points of the GDPR requirements
(that should be supported on your WordPress site):

• Communication – Use plain language. Tell them who you are when you request data. Explain why you are processing their data, for how long it will be stored, and who will be receiving it.
• Consent – Get their clear consent to process the data. Collecting from children for social media? Check age limit for parental consent.
• Access and portability – Let the people access their data and give it to another company.
• Warnings – Inform people of the data breaches if there is a serious risk for them.
• Erase data – Give people the ‘right to be forgotten’. Erase their personal data if they ask, but only if it does not compromise freedom of expression or the ability to research.
• Profiling – If you use profiling to process applications for legally-binding agreements like loans you must:
  • Inform your customers;
  • Make sure you have a person, not a machine, checking the process
  • if the application ends in a refusal;
  • Offer the applicant the right to contest the decision.
• Marketing – Give people the right to opt out of direct marketing that uses their data.
• Safeguarding sensitive data – Use extra safeguards for information on health, race, sexual orientation, religion and political beliefs.
• Data transfer outside the EU – Make legal arrangements when you transfer data to countries that have not been approved by the EU authorities.

 

 

All of these requirements are now supported with the latest WordPress release 4.9.6. If your business is located in the Euro Union, we strongly recommend this WordPress GDPR update as soon as possible to make sure you are covered. Let us know if you need assistance with that!