In recent years, online business owners have been taking steps to comply with privacy laws and regulations. One of the most significant changes came in 2018 with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU. This regulation required online businesses to implement cookie banners that asked visitors in the EU for opt-in consent to drop cookies.
Since then, many other countries and states have created their own regulations, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA will go into effect on January 1, 2020, and will affect businesses with customers in California. For website owners, this will affect how they can use cookies and other online trackers to collect user data.
The Do Not Sell rule is a key part of the CCPA regulation. It states that businesses must give consumers the option to opt-out of the sale of their personal data. To comply with this regulation, businesses must have a page on their website titled “Do Not Sell My Personal Information.” On this page, consumers based in California can opt-out of the sale of their personal data. The business must also clearly link to the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” webpage from the homepage and describe the consumer’s rights to opt-out of the sale of personal data in its privacy policy.
To make it easier for website owners to comply with the CCPA regulations, CookiePro has developed a Do Not Sell plugin specifically for WordPress sites. This plugin allows website owners to add a Do Not Sell button to their website, which visitors from California can use to opt-out of personalized ads or submit a consumer rights request to ensure that other technologies on the website do not sell their data.
To use the CookiePro Do Not Sell plugin, website owners need to install and activate it on their WordPress website. Once activated, the plugin will appear in the left-hand navigation of the WordPress dashboard. Website owners can customize their Do Not Sell button and modal and copy and paste the CookiePro Consumer Rights form link into the plugin. Once they click save and publish, visitors from California will see the Do Not Sell button with a link to the Do Not Sell My Personal Information page when they visit the website.
It’s important for businesses and website owners to put processes in place to help them adhere to CCPA guidelines. Failure to comply with the regulations can result in fines of up to $7,500 per intentional violation and $2,500 per each non-intentional violation. Website owners should check if their business is subject to CCPA and if their business is selling personal data. If they fulfill both requirements, they need a Do Not Sell button.
In conclusion, the CCPA adds a new layer of compliance that many sites will need to be aware of. Website owners have until January 1, 2020, to make updates to their site to avoid penalties. Luckily, with WordPress, this can be as simple as installing a plugin like CookiePro’s Do Not Sell plugin. If your online business is subject to CCPA and you want to implement a Do Not Sell button on your website, CookiePro can help keep your business compliant with CCPA and other privacy regulations.
