Login Get Started

WP Statistics and GDPR

By Navid K

Notice

This post is outdated. For the updated and more detailed version, please see this page.

Many users asked about WP Statistics compliance with GDPR. We have good news! In V12.4.0, the WP Statistics plugin has complied with GDPR.

A (Brief) Introduction to GDPR

GDPR is a regulation that aims to protect the privacy of EU (European Union) citizens. Among other things, it provides users with more control over the personal data that they share with websites.

Want to learn more about GDPR and, more specifically, how it affects WordPress websites? Here are some recommended readings:

Is WP Statistics plugin GDPR Compliant?

From this new version on, the answer is YES. V12.4.0 is GDPR compliant by default.

WP Statistics Doesn’t collect Personal Data

Even in the previous versions, WP Statistics wouldn’t collect personal data or store information based on users. You should know that when installed and activated on your website, WP Statistics doesn’t collect, store or send any personal data of your site’s visitors.

What about IP addresses?

In previous versions, there was an option called Hash IP. When Hash IP was activated, the IP addresses wouldn’t be stored in the database, but instead, a unique hash would be used. There is an option in the new version to store IPs anonymously. This process is shown in the following figure:

This option is active by default. If you want to deactivate it, you can simply navigate to WP-Admin > WP Statistics > Settings > Privacy and deactivate the ‘Anonymize IP Addresses’ option.

What about cookies?

WP Statistics doesn’t store any cookies on your visitors’ browsers.

GDPR-Related Changes in the New Version

‘Anonymize IP’ option

As already mentioned, this option is active by default. To deactivate it, you can directly navigate to WP-Admin > WP-Statistics > Settings > Privacy, and deactivate ‘Anonymize IP Addresses’ option.

Important: The Opt-Out option is omitted

We provided this option in the previous version. However, since the GDPR regulation is not limited to one plugin, we decided to omit this new version option. To add this option, you can use the GDPR WP plugin or other similar ones.

The bottom line

Each website is unique in both its goals and functionality. In that way, the path to achieving GDPR compliance will vary depending on your site’s needs.

The most important thing you can do as a developer is to get to know what sort of data your website is collecting and then create a plan of action for keeping it safe. Then, ensure that processes are in place to communicate your policies and manage user data requests.

Legal Disclaimer / Disclosure2*

We are not lawyers. Nothing on this website should be considered legal advice. Due to the dynamic nature of websites, no single plugin or platform can offer 100% legal compliance. When in doubt, it’s best to consult a specialist internet law attorney to determine if you are in compliance with all applicable laws for your jurisdictions and your use cases.

Tagged
Navid K
Navid K
I'm Navid, Product Manager at WP Statistics. My mission is to empower everything and everyone toward their best potential, bringing ideas to life with simplicity and purpose.

Comments

    J

    Hi there, I am very happy with this Excellent Service you are providing as it very much agrees with my Website Admin and Personal Ethics. You help me with European GDPR compliance which is an absolute must for ethical Website Owners offering protection to their Visitors. As I strongly object to USA type Google Analytics with their vast array of associate programs, due to the invasive nature of them, I choose to avoid them altogether. Rather, I have elected to use WP Statistics for Analytics to gauge the interest shown in my Webpages and Posts without invading my Visitor’s Privacy to do so. Furthermore, I find Google’s Promotions of their Analytical Programs to be aggressive and misleading. Therefore, I have chosen to go with your Service for all my Websites which I find Satisfactory. I also employ the services of European Webhosting for my Websites as they have more Ethics in Serving their Customers. So pleased to have found you and happy to promote you in the Privacy Page of my Websites Soon in place of the sundry amount of jargon Website Visitors like myself find so laborious. I can now feel free to keep this Page sweet and simple. Once again, thank you. I sought extensively to find such a genuine service like yours. Previously, of necessity I chose to avoid Analytical Services, finding them unacceptable. I can now gauge my Visitors Interests SAFELY without Google’s exploitation.

    Author’s gravatar

    We are glad to hear that our product helped you, glouroes!

Comments are closed.

Let’s get started
Take your business to next level

Become part of our growing family of +600,000 users and get the tools you need to make smart choices for your website. Simple, powerful insights are just a click away.

Get WP Statistics Now