GDPR Compliance Instructions For Digital Publishers
GDPR Compliance Instructions For Digital Publishers
What is GDPR?
Am I affected by GDPR at all, can I skip all of this?
I wish I could tell you “yes”, but **probably not**.
If you get any EU web traffic to your site (theoretically any at all) you are responsible for delivering PII controls and notifications to those visitors.
All that, plus maybe some other stuff depending on your business. So… it is worth looking into.
Am I in trouble if I do nothing?
How to become GDPR Complaint…
1. **You’ll need a pop-up or banner [consent form](/?page_id=2313)**.
It’s kind of like the “we use cookies” banner that you might already have for your privacy policy, but instead of users being able to just click “OK” — they have to explicitly say ‘YES’ and also have the opportunity to say “NO”.
Users need to be able to understand what the cookies are for and have options about how or when they may be used.
For publishers, this module will need to ask your site’s visitors if they will allow your vendors (ad networks / exchanges etc) to track them via cookies and then explain what those cookies do.
**2\. You need to map the IP of the user to know if they are in the EU**
If they are indeed in the EU, they must give consent for you to show them interest-based ads (retargeting display ads) ads.
**Example:** _Visitor goes to Nike’s website and looks at shoes. Nike would like to track that visitor and then use that information to show that same visitor an ad for the shoes on your website._ **GDPR regulations In This Example:** _If the visitor gives consent to collect and use cookies, then the ad can be shown to that visitor on your website. If they don’t give consent, the publisher CAN NOT show them that retargeted display ad._
When consent is not given, you must only show non-interest based ads (no cookie-based targeting allowed).
This would include things like contextual display ads (an article could have the words, “shoes”, in the body of the article — advertisers then target that page to show ads based on that keyword).
This type of advertising doesn’t require PII.
**3\. You must keep a log of users who accept or deny cookie permissions**
You have to now keep track of all this data for… maybe forever? You’re expected to keep track of these permissions and obey them now and in the future.
That sounds complicated, how do I do this?
Is there a free consent management platform?
Will the Ezoic consent management app work for my website?
What about stuff unrelated to ads, like website comments?
When do I have to be GDPR compliant?
May 25th, 2018 — so …. already.
Bummer, right?
This is sneaking up on a lot of publishers.
It shouldn’t be ignored. You can start taking the right steps today and the process should be relatively painless; especially if you use the Ezoic app.
Was that a full GDPR summary, is that it?
Unfortunately, that’s not everything.
That’s just most of the big stuff for publishers.
It would be really difficult for me to cover every scenario and issue. From a legal standpoint, the thought of that is terrifying.
However, you can use the above info to help make sure your website is doing the things necessary to align with GDPR guidelines.
Questions or concerns? Yeah, you and everyone else.
Leave your comments below and I’ll do my best to provide answers and resources. Unfortunately, I cannot provide legal advice.