DW Tips

Every company has an obligation to protect the data it collects from consumers and visitors. GDPR, a set of regulations from the European Union that takes this responsibility a step further, is something that every business owner needs to know about. Even if you don't do business in the EU specifically, you may still have visitors from the EU. Here are three things you need to know about it:

1. You need active consent to collect data, even if it's aggregated and anonymized.

If you've noticed more and more pop-ups about accepting cookies popping up on the bottom third of your favorite sites, that's because of GDPR. Every entity needs to have documented and active consent from visitors before you can start collecting user traffic details. That includes even generalized details such as heat maps or viewer behavior stats. Instead of putting the obligation on visitors to read individual privacy policies, the onus has shifted to you.

2. There are fines.

You may have heard about Google's massive, million-dollar fines for violating GDPR in the past few months. Even though Google is based in the United States, invasive data practices can result in massive fines whether you meant for it to happen or not. If you've been putting off professional web design as a cost-saving measure, you need to evaluate whether the savings are worth accidentally violating privacy terms and incurring fines.

3. Professional developers and designers stay on top of the news.

It can be impossible to know all the ins and outs of GDPR, let alone other national and international data protection measures, when you have a business to run. But website designers and developers have teams dedicated to knowing what plugins, agreements, and updates need to happen. While using a third-party service doesn't completely reduce your liability in the event of a violation, it drastically reduces the risk.

For more information about GDPR or updating your site to improve privacy and user experience, contact our team here.