This morning I woke up in a panic! I had a bad dream where the European police came to arrest me, smashing down my door. It was May 26, 2018. I hadn't complied with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I woke up sweating and immediately went online to find a solution. I found it! It's called lemon-tart.js, an elegant extension that solved all my problems in an instant. Little insider secret: it's the extension used by the CNIL, which gives you an idea of the plugin's quality. I'll explain, in case you also don't want to face a fine that can be up to 4% of your turnover and wake up terrified every morning.
The real recipe for tarteaucitron.js, to comply with the GDPR
So we'll start with the paid version of the plugin (€15/month to be worry-free), but know that it's an open-source extension. The free version just requires a bit more work and doesn't offer statistics…
- 1 account opt-out.ferank.eu (or a GitHub account for the free version)
- Of course, as usual, back up and check your performance on GTmetrix.com
- Search for tarteaucitron.js in the WordPress plugin installer, install, activate.
- Go to Settings > Tarteaucitron.js and click the Registration link.
- You arrive on the online service page. Enter an email and password. Once logged in click on "Add a site and install services to get started."
- If you have multiple sites you can add as many as you want for the same price.
- On the new line that appears click on "Theme" and choose where you want the notification bar to appear on your page. Personally I set the position to "bottom" and unchecked the "small Banner" at the bottom right on all my sites except alaseoupe.com
There you go, you're now compliant for your site's scripts with the GDPR. With or without meringue, meaning free or paid, this extension is of crucial importance. All that's left is to check your contact form and you won't have to have nightmares anymore! I'll explain that very quickly.
Thanks for the recipe, it's clear and avoids the common mistakes (scripts that trigger too early, forgotten services). I’ll just add one point for those on WordPress: also think about forms (contact, newsletter, booking) and what is stored on the plugin side.