Does anybody out there know how this will, if it will effect small non-profit hobby bloggers like myself and others out there who just enjoy sharing their hobby and making good friends here on WordPress? This will come into effect this 25th May, and some of you may not be aware of it yet or its consequences. It all appears pretty vague out there, and my first thoughts were that this affected business websites, not free plan like this one. There appears to be no clear line who is affected, and some small bloggers are worried about having contact forms, subscriptions via email, IP address collection and even comments boxes. It appears some may even be closing their blogs because of the uncertainty and fear they may be inadvertently breaking this new legislation.
Today is the first I have heard about this ‘General Data Protection Regulation’, which will be new European legislation on how personal data is collected and stored via our blogs. I know big business do this, with cookies etc, but have we got to be wary of this as hobby bloggers? Looking through some of the threads we may be individually responsible for how we collect and process personal data, but it appears to be not a straight forward as it may appear? Apparently we should add an EU cookie law widget too, to comply with cookie law?
I tried WordPress.com help forum here, but others appear just as confused: https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/gdpr/ and here https://en.forums.wordpress.com/search/gdpr/
I believe a new WordPress update is due soon which may make this clearer, but the 25th is only next week. Meanwhile here are some more bluebells from the wood … Pete
Nature Journeys 
No help here, I’m in the dark as much as you.
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Thank you for your reply, David. It appears to only affect the EU.
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First I’ve heard of it, Pete. Just googled it and it seems to be directed at business from what I can gather, but then, I am not computer savvy and haven’t got the patience to wade through all the paraphernalia.
There’s mention of fines up 20 million euros! Well good luck if they can find that from moi!
I be surprised if it affects the likes of people like us and I’m sure Word Press have … or will have the low down sooner rather than later.
Meantime …. it’s perishing cold over here!
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Ark, your fine sense of humour never fails to make me laugh out loud! 🙂 I would not have thought it would affect us as you say, but hopefully we make have answers soon. Thank you for your reply, and I hope it warms up for you over there!
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I dont know, I dont hold a list of people or their email addresses except those of friends. I’m agreeing to stop on people’s mailing lists who ask me to. There should be instructions posted for wordpress bloggers to use.
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Thank you for your reply, Christine. Neither do I, but WordPress might do in the background somewhere, as if you have social media connections like fb, they might, too. Those instructions appear a little vague, but maybe it will become clearer as it gets closer.
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Hope so!
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Thank you, Jude. I guess we will have to wait and see.
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I refuse to worry about it. After all any of us who comment on a blog surely realise that we give away our email details.
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I think it may be a good thing over all, but hopefully we can get a better understanding of what we have have to do, if anything, when the time comes.
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They are beautiful belles Pete
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Thank you, Liz 🙂
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Yikes! I would hate for anything to change. We are hobbyists plain and simple.
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I agree, and I am hoping this is only aimed at folk who run their own blogs from their own servers who run their own business. We will see.
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I guess it doesn’t affect me as I live in Australia.
BTW I noticed when I posted to my B & W blog yesterday, (a blog I rarely use), that the title of my post now appears at the bottom of the images (instead of the top). I don’t know when, or why, they changed this Theme layout, but I prefer the blog title at the top.
The bluebell shot is lovely by the way.
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I am pleased you liekd the blubell shot, Vicki, and thank you 🙂 I didn’t think the theme layouts could be changed unless you changed them individually? Your blog still looks really good even with the title at the bottom of the image.
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First, don’t worry too much about some of the comments on the WP.com forum pages. There’s as much misinformation there as solid information. One person who has been around for years and is trustworthy is justjennifer, who I see has put in an appearance.
Here’s an excellent site that has some good information and additional links. It appears to me that this is going to be more of an issue for WordPress.org blogs, which are responsible for creating their own comment forms, registrations, and so on. Every article I’ve read mentions plug-ins. Those are used by WP.org blogs to create what we receive from WordPress.com.
I suspect that WP.com bloggers will be covered in the same way that WP.com provides spam coverage. We don’t have to go through the process of developing our own blogs, adding plugins, and so on. The best advice is to do what Jennifer suggested and follow the official WP.com blog, and the news updates.
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Thank you very much for the info, Linda and the links. I hope this is so with WordPress.com covering everything perhaps with inclusive updates. I was with WordPress.org some years ago and like you say this is mainly aimed at those sites and those that sell and have a business. I hope things will settle down once more folk are reassured and know what they have to do, if anything.
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Being as you have no sensitive data, nor access to any the chances of it pertaining to you and typical people who blog is slim.
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It would think so, too, Ted. Hopefully it will become more clearer. Thank you 🙂
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“We” German bloggers have already discussed our heads off over the last weeks with no clear results so far. We are quite sure that we will need a EU cookie widget and that we need to have a page where we inform all visitors of our blog what we will be doing with their data, which information will be collected and how it will be processed. The point is that we hobby bloggers do not collect data and make money whereas WP does and we don’t even know what data they collect from our blogs. In the end we may be the ones who will be held responsible for the things WP does – this worries many bloggers here. (Sorry, my English is especially clumsy this morning.)
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Your English is perfect, Susanne, and thank you for your detailed reply. Yes quite confusing, and you would have thought a lot of these things like cookie widgets would have been incorporated into a new update so we all comply and do not fall foul. I think we need to be wise, keep our heads, and see what happens next.
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Pete. There was a bit from wordpress the other day, it seems this data protection law is aimed at business websites and those that make and sell products like plug ins etc. The way I see it as long as you don’t sell a product through your blog i.e photographs, so collecting peoples bank details etc you are not effected. I may remove my contact form, but no one uses it anyway! If the EU want to waste time persecuting hobby bloggers then perhaps we should have had Brexit years ago! Carry on and don’t panic Capt Mainwaring.
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Thank you for the info, Brian 🙂 That is what I thought at first, and believe it is aimed at, but hopefully things will be made clearer. I have already removed contact forms off my other two blogs and and the follow by email widget. Not panicking … yet!!! 🙂
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Every visitor on your website has to know what happens with his personal dates. The main problem is that some plug ins from WP aren’t conform with the new GDPR and have to modify.
And it is necessary to have an imprint and a data Privacy statement on your website.
We have to wait for WP and the 25th of Mai. Simone
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Thank you for your reply, Simone. I think over all it should be a good thing and will help protect peoples data. I used to have a wordpress.org account years ago with plug-ins, and I think some of these plug-ins pulled data, and like you say it maybe aimed at that kind of thing. Hopefully it will become clearer as it approaches.
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Hi Pete
I don’t think that we hobby bloggers are ‘data processors’ surely that is WordPress?
….. But then again I’m no expert.
For what it’s worth, I give you full permission to keep me subscribed. Cheers for the spiders and bluebells. 🙂
Pete
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I agree, Pete, so may be they will get their heads around it and fix it with future updates. Thank you for your reply and kind words 🙂
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Ooh…. never knew this…. 😦
Beautiful picture, Pete!
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Thank you very much, Indira 🙂
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You might find this post useful Pete: https://nicholasrossis.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/gdpr-and-authors-what-you-need-to-know/
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Thanks for the heads-up, Pete. First I’ve heard of it. But then I live in the States. Keep us posted on any new developments you run across over there.
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Will do, James. It appears if you are outside the EU it may still affect you in some way.
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I guess if WordPress holds the contact details of our subscribers, it’s going to be down to them to seek whatever new permissions are necessary. I have noticed other organisations sending out ‘do you still want to subscribe?’ messages lately so perhaps WP will do the same, or put a disclaimer on the widget. Hopefully it’ll all become clearer at some point.
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Thank you, Adele. Its all, going to be in the wording, and I hope some of these will become automated to cover us with future updates.
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Interesting information and comments. Meanwhile…I love the way the bluebell petals curl up !
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Thank you very much, Marilyn 🙂 The bluebells are coming to the end of their flowering period now, but they are still having a last fling 🙂
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No idea. Thanks for pointers. Will try and have a look.
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Thank you, Judi 🙂
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My understanding is if you have asked for personal data I.e subscribe to service and taken contact info e.g email you have to notify individuals what you are utilising the data for and allow individual to unsubscribe. You also have to define what you will use the data for and have a data policy. I logged in today “I haven’t been online for a while”!expecting there to have been some form of communication from WordPress on the subject. But there is none !! I’m considering sending a blanket email to my 60 subscribers out saying I’ve delete all contacts and asking them to resubscribe if still interested in my content !!
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Being so close to the deadline – next week – I would have thought we would have had more info now, and perhaps an update which would help automate most of the issues mentioned for us hobby bloggers who aren’t utlising any personal data. I guess we will have to wait a little longer. Thank you for your response 🙂
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Beautiful Bluebells. As for this GDPR thing, I can’t understand stuff like this, my little brain can’t process any of it. I Don’t have the first clue about cookies and widgets and am mystified by the whole thing. Several of the blogs I follow come via email as it’s easier for me to follow than by the reader. I Don’t tend to reblog or share other people’s info, so unsure what privacy things I may be doing wrong, to whom, or how to rectify. It’s a proper bummer but I may have to give up my little blog.
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I wouldn’t give up your little and lovely blog just yet, Jill. I woud wait and see what WordPress do to address the issue, after all it is them who are process and storing the info, as far as I know, liek i really know anything? 🙂 I think all we small hobby bloggers are the same, and do not keep or process personal data like the big cats might do, so lets just wait and see where we stand before thowing our blogs.
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Yes, it’s only a couple of days. We’ll see if anything changes.
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Pete, have you come up with anything yet? As wordpress.com bloggers do we even have access to our followers/subscribers emails to contact them? I can’t find anything!!!
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I am afraid I haven’t yet, Clair. This is also one of the questions I had in mind. I think WordPress handles them all in the background. I have never even thought to look for them yet alone use them in any fashion. It might be an idea to follow the WordPress.com blog here to gain more information when it is forthcoming. https://en.blog.wordpress.com/
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Thanks Peter….it is a bit of a minefield, and I know an alumni charity I chair is trying to unpick it! Followed the link x
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You are welcome, Clair. And we have cookies now. Maybe it will unravel itself and make more sense eventually 🙂
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Hi Pete – you should add a EU cookie policy widget as well a privacy policy page where you describe the data that you store (e.g. registration as follower, comtacts, etc.). It’s pretty hard to get hands on a kind of template or so – it’s mostly wage descriptions what should be done. But maybe my version of a privacy policy helps you to set up something similar. I am no lawyer – just a fellow hobby blogger, so no guarantee that it will be sufficient but I read several professional blog sites with similar information, so it cannot be totally wrong. And last but not least: Lovely blog!
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Thank you for your response, Silverwheel. I will look into it! 🙂
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Hi Pete,
This EU law, while aimed at companies does also cover charities, church groups and clubs who hold members details.
I have just completed the privacy policy for our gardening club using ‘legitimate interest’ as the legal basis for collecting their data. The does not require our existing members to sign anything. There is a lot of misinformation out there, the bill has only just finished going through parliament! As an example, the NT has required all its members to sign a form confirming it is ok for them to store their data, at great postal and admin cost, while the NFU insurance company does not!
After saying all that how it affects bloggers i have no idea. All I would say is to make sure your computer access is password protected, (it should be for your own sake) and that you don’t share anyone’s email address without their permission.
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Thank you for your reply and the advice, Brian 🙂 They were talking about this on the Jeremy Vine show today on Radio 2, and they were saying what little information has been forthcoming regarding this, and how people have had to trawl the internet to learn about it. But it does appear to be mainly aimed at businesses and charites, etc.
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The GDPR policy is making me a bit skeptical about how it plays out looking at the bigger picture….hope it works out fine for players and game changers.😬😕😐
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Me, too 🙂
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