GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It is a legal framework from the European Union that enforces user privacy protection. EU adopted it in May 2018, and the regulation has been active since. To help comply with the regulation, developers built Magento 2 GDPR extension. But what is exactly GDPR? What requirements does it have, and how do modules help to comply with them? Today, we will explain this matter.
GDPR requirements
Meeting all GDPR requirements is not as easy as, say, marrying Magento and SEO together. You can do latter yourself without many tools and with some knowledge. It just takes some text editing. However, GDPR requires additional user consent, a customizable cookie policy, and system changes for accessing and deleting user data.
Luckily for any store owner, there is an SEO extension for Magento, as well as a GDPR one. They will do most of the heavy lifting for you. However, it is still wise to know all the main requirements and recommendations. They are as follows:
- Systematically arranged and sorted data.
- High security of the stored data.
- Clear notifications about policies for users.
- The mechanism for retrieving data upon users’ demand.
- Active opt-in (pre-ticked checkboxes do not count).
- Re-opt-ins upon updates and the ability to opt out.
- Ensured third-party compliance in case of data selling.
Is GDPR compliance actually important?
The GDPR is a European Union regulation – that we have already clarified. The question is, do owners actually need to follow it if their business is set outside the EU? Short answer: no, you don’t have to, but you probably will want to. Why? For three reasons that we at Mirasvit think are important:
- It’s a good practice overall. The GDPR was created for a reason – it ensures the protection of user data and gives your clients more control over it. That is genuinely a morally good thing to protect clients’ rights.
- Education. Knowing policies and regulations may keep you safe and protected yourself. Even if you are not entangled in them right now, you may become later down the line. Better be prepared in advance.
- Loss of big market. While owners do not have to comply, if you want to deal with customers from the EU, you simply must. Otherwise, you may lose a big chunk of the external market.
How will the GDPR module from Mirasvit help?
We said earlier that though requirements aren’t easy to meet, you can install a proper Magento module. So, what exactly this module does? To answer shortly – it automatically implements a lot of requirements without a need for much interference. Here are four main features of the Magento GDPR extension by Mirasvit:
- Cookies notice. With this module, you can easily configure cookie policy popups. Change text and grouping to ensure convenience for visitors.
- Privacy consents. Set up when users will see privacy policy notifications. Ensure customers can’t proceed without complying, and monitor all consent withdrawals. You can even see the exact date and time when any user consented.
- Compliance templates. You will have access to templates for privacy policy agreements. The extension also allows to customize them.
- Dealing with customers’ requests. The extension will handle requests for anonymization, updates, downloads, and deletion of stored data. For example, users may download CSV files with their recorded personal information.