As of today, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect. The GDPR was designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe and to reshape the way organizations approach data privacy.

As of today, blogs (and businesses) not fully GDPR compliant could face fines, as well as legal action.

Hence, as of today, my blog must have data protection through SSL encryption. I need to sign a data handling contract with the company hosting my blog, have to have a deletion policy, record of processing activities, and TOMs in place. Pseudonymization is crucial. Just as privacy-by-default settings. No more Aksimet, no plugins, no google fonts, no google Analytics. Are you still with me? I am learning these terms like vocabulary. But even if I know them, I have not the foggiest idea what they mean, much less how to apply them.

Just like everyone else, I had 2 years to get things done. I haven’t done anything. Anything at all. (Now, that I come to think of it – if my son were to do the same at school, I would come unglued …). Therefore, my blog should go offline immediately.

So far for bad news. But there is good news too:

I am working on legal details and endless paragraphs about data protection regulations. Both will be exactly where I want them to be on my blog. There is even a cookie banner. Hence, I achieved way more than I would have expected. Ever. In a world, that is not mine.

Yeah!

And – just as good, maybe even better – over the last days, I have received several eMails sent by shops and airlines, newspapers, associations, hotels and organizations. They all ask me to click for a new newsletter because they do not want to lose me (…) – sorry to say: they will. Quite frankly, my mailbox has never cleaned up so fast and efficient. I never asked for most of these newsletters but their was increasing day by day. Now they vanish, one by one, just like soap bubbles. So nice : )

The day after!

GDPR is here and the world is still turning. I will keep working with häkelmonster. I might change one thing or another, therefore the blog might be offline in the near future for several days – however, everything will be okay in the end.

And if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.