Digital Privacy Laws Your Business Needs to Know

As your trusted web partner, we want to keep you informed about important data privacy regulations and what they mean for your business. Here’s a breakdown of the GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA:

Effective May 25, 2018, GDPR is a comprehensive privacy regulation from the European Union. It mandates transparency in how businesses collect, use, and store personal data of individuals in Europe. Companies must provide clear privacy notices and allow users to request data deletion. Even if you don’t operate in the EU, GDPR compliance can prepare you for similar U.S. regulations and promote a safer internet.

The CCPA, effective January 1, 2020, gives California residents rights over their personal data, including the right to know what data is being collected, to access, delete, and opt out of the sale of their data. Businesses that collect data on California residents must comply with these regulations, which may influence similar laws in other states.

COPPA regulates online data collection from children under 13 years old. Websites and services directed at children must obtain parental consent before collecting personal data and provide clear privacy policies.

Confidentiality

• HTTPS and SSL Certificates to encrypt information as it travels from the user’s computer to our server
• Utilizing pseudonymization by obfuscating entries of PII (personally identifiable information) from other identifying information
• Utilizing encryption to protect data in use and at rest

Integrity/Accountability

• Controlled methods of access (logins, facility access) for individual users
• Compartmented, or need-to-know, access to information and all additions, changes, or deletions of data is logged

Availability

• Redundant systems such as internet services, utilities, HVAC, and hardware with no single point of failure
• Reviews and audits of hardware and infrastructure to ensure that it is capable under expected loads

Compliance

• Continuous internal and external audits of compliance with common security and privacy standards such as HIPAA, FERPA, SOX, SOC, or PCI DSS, all of which have similar requirements to the GDPR

Data Minimization

• Not receiving or storing information unless it is absolutely necessary

WordPress Enhances Privacy Controls with New Data Management Tools

WordPress Enhances Privacy Controls with New Data Management Tools In their most recent updates, WordPress has focused on enhancing user privacy through the introduction of new features aimed at better data handling and transparency. These updates include improved tools for managing personal data, such as easier access to export and erase personal data requests. In a mid-2024 update, WordPress also made adjustments to ensure compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations by refining how plugins handle user data. 

Avada’s Latest Update: Strengthened GDPR Compliance and Data Privacy Controls

Avada, a popular WordPress theme, updated its privacy and GDPR compliance features, focusing on giving users more control over how their data is collected and used. This includes enhanced options for cookie consent management and updates to how user data is stored within the theme’s integrations, especially concerning third-party plugins. Their latest update, released in August 2024, added more granular controls for handling data privacy in line with recent regulatory changes.

Cloudflare Boosts Privacy with New Anti-Bot Measures and Turnstile Feature

Cloudflare has recently enhanced its privacy measures, especially in response to growing concerns over data security and bot traffic. The updates include new privacy-preserving features like advanced bot detection systems and Turnstile, a CAPTCHA alternative designed to enhance user privacy. These measures are part of Cloudflare’s broader efforts to protect user data and reduce exposure to malicious activities. Their latest privacy update was rolled out in July 2024, following significant incidents that highlighted the need for improved data protection strategies.

Upgrade All Pages to HTTPS Ensure that every page on your website, not just those handling sensitive data, is served over HTTPS. This protects against data interception and ensures secure communication between your site and users. If your site isn’t already fully on HTTPS, consult with your hosting provider or developer to make this change as soon as possible.

Implement Advanced Cookie Consent Management Enhance your cookie consent management by providing users with granular control over which cookies are set. This helps meet GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. Consider integrating a comprehensive cookie management tool that allows users to easily opt-in or opt-out of specific cookie categories.

Enhance User Data Control Options Give users more control over their data by updating your website to include options for users to access, modify, and delete their personal data. This includes automating processes for handling GDPR/CCPA compliance requests. Consult with your developer to add these features to your website’s existing forms and user accounts.

Likewise to Forbes, we at Firefly Marketing believe that

It all comes down to trust and transparency. Customers want to know they can trust companies to take care of their personal information and not sell it or use it inappropriately. Companies that can demonstrate customer trust will be much more successful than unprepared companies inundated with customer deletion requests.