Data Protection: Facebook’s Tracking Pixel and GDPR Compliance

The Austrian Data Protection Authority (DPA) recently made an important announcement that has significant implications for websites operating within the European Union (EU). According to their declaration, the use of Facebook's tracking pixel directly violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a comprehensive privacy law designed to safeguard the personal data of individuals within...
Read More

GDPR and The Importance of Website Software Updates

In today's digital landscape, keeping your website software up to date has become more important than ever, especially with the introduction of GDPR. GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation, is a regulation introduced by the European Union that came into effect on 25th May 2018. This regulation imposes strict requirements on businesses that collect and process personal data from EU...
Read More
a person login a form on a desktop

Analytics and Web App Confusion as Privacy Shield Lies in Tatters

Before the world changed due to COVID-19, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) came into force back in 2018.  This impacted businesses across all industries and implemented strict regulation on the storage and transfer of personal data, with heavy fines as punishment for non-compliance. Many cloud services, from those offered by Microsoft and Google to much smaller, niche services, are...
Read More
GDPR, General data protection regulation compliance logo. Server room background.

Data protection post-Brexit: Information from the ICO

On the 31st January 2020 the UK left the European Union and enters the Brexit transition period. During this transition period, which runs until the end of December 2020, it will be business as usual for data protection and compliance according to the ICO. The ICO has confirmed that the GDPR will continue to apply. Businesses and organisations that process personal data should continue to follow...
Read More

You should include this information in your emails to be GDPR compliant

Prompted by the GDPR and its headline-grabbing fines, businesses have worked hard to ensure that they have a proper legal basis for their email marketing. This usually means consent from users, although in some circumstances "legitimate interests" may also be an option. In addition to establishing a proper basis for marketing under the GDPR, businesses should include certain other information in...
Read More
eu-cookie-law-means-changes-for-websites.jpg

Europe’s top court rules tracking cookies need active consent

As part of a case between consumer groups in Germany and the website Planet49, Europe’s top court has ruled that pre-checked consent boxes, or assumed consent, for analytics and tracking cookies are not legally valid - in any circumstances and violate the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive. Consent for tracking and analytics cookies must be obtained prior to storing or accessing these non-essential...
Read More

New ICO GDPR guidance: Passwords and encryption in online services and websites

What is required under the GDPR? The latest guidance from the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) could be relevant to anyone operating a website (whether it's using WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal or numerous other content management systems. If your website allows users to log in, whether it's staff, volunteers, customers, or the general public, the new guidance needs to be considered....
Read More

The O’Brien Media Website Analytics Service Agreement has been updated

The O'Brien Media Website Analytics Service Agreement has been updated to reflect the requirements of the GDPR. You can access the Website Analytics Service Agreement here, your continued use of the service indicates acceptance of the new service agreement, and the data processing agreement (addendum), which can be read here. We encourage you to read both documents fully so that you understand...
Read More

Your GDPR compliance checklist

Getting through the General Data Protection Regulation Whether you’re a business owner, senior manager, or a designated data protection officer, if it’s your job to keep on top of GDPR legislation and ensure your organisation upholds the GDPR compliance requirements, and you sure have a lot on your plate! To give you a helping hand we've put together a GDPR Compliance Checklist that...
Read More

WooCommerce 3.4 is now available with GDPR compliance features for your store

WooCommerce, the popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress is now available, after having been in development since January, and includes some essential tools relating to GDPR compliance and your website. While 3.4 is a “minor” release; meaning this version should be backwards compatible with sites running versions of WooCommerce greater than 3.0. It's still recommend that your site is tested...
Read More