GDPR Compliant Forms: Tips and Best Practices Using ARForms

As a Website owner, you have been hearing the word GDPR a lot, right? But what is it? Well, the General Data Protection Regulation are a set of rules created by the European Union for the purpose of maintaining privacy and security for their nationals. Now, you might not be a resident of the European Union. However, even if your Website reaches European Citizens, it should be considered for your Website and laid down for compliance.

Importance of GDPR Compliance for Online Forms

It is important to gain user’s trust on your brand when they visit your website.
This regulation mandates that any organization that deals with personal data of EU citizens must adhere to a set of guidelines to ensure data privacy. And it’s not just a rule for the sake of it, it’s non-compliance can result in hefty fines for the business. GDPR compliance ensures that user’s data is collected only after their explicit consent and they are fully aware of the usage of their data. The Website must be user-friendly and secure.

GDPR Requirements for Data Protection

GDPR is a very lengthy law, however, let us look at the basic rules of GDPR for forms.

1) Obtain Explicit Consent in Online Forms:

It is crucial for you to put down a consent checkbox before a user submit their data to your Webpage form. Use clear, concise, and unambiguous language in consent requests. Ensure that the users are well aware of what you are going to do with their data. You must also provide for user’s to withdraw their consent easily, any time.

2) Data Collection via WordPress Forms

You might just need a specific set of data, for instance mail ID. Then collect only that. Minimize the data you ask from the users and avoid collecting any kind of sensitive data unless your cause requires it. Ensure data protection for all the data that you collect.

3) Be Transparent About Your Further Processing

Your privacy policy and privacy notice must be detailed and clear. You must state the purpose of data collection and how it will be used further explicitly. If you are going to add them to your mailing list, mention that, if you are going to track their web actions for suggestions on the best behavior, specify it.

4) Limit the Data to Specified Purpose to be GDPR Compliant

Even if the same data can be used for some other purpose as well, do not use the data for anything else than what you specified at the time of collecting. Obtain fresh content with renewed consent and specify the new purpose again.

5) Ensure Security for the data of Online Forms

You must lay down appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure that there is no breach or theft of user data. Use encryption tools, secure storage options, and access controls to protect data from unauthorized spam access.
You must also have a system in check to detect and report any data breaches. Notify the authority and the individuals as soon as it happens or within 72 hours to start the rectification measures.

6) Rights of the Users under GDPR Law

You must provide mechanisms to users to access, rectify, delete, or export their data at any given time. Even if they had given consent earlier, they have the right to withdraw it and object to the use of data processing.

7) Third-Party Plugins and Software

As a Website owner, you are bound to use multiple plugins and software to make your task easy and quick. Make sure that they are GDPR compliant or provide you with options to lay down the rules. Be it a WordPress Theme or a Form Builder Plugin.

Luckily, to aid the tiresome process of being GDPR compliant, ARForms Plugin will be your knight in shining armour. You can set up all the compliance rules with it and create the law friendly form for collecting data.

GDPR Compliance for Forms using ARForms Plugin

Forms is your instrument to collect data and is important for your business. Be it email IDs for a newsletter or personal details to process their order. Thus this compliance is directly related to Forms. Now, let us see how to make WordPress Forms GDPR Compliant with ARForms.

Add a Consent Checkbox

You must add an unticked, unchecked, consent checkbox at the end of your form for users to check your privacy policy and then submit their data. With ARForms Contact Builder Plugin, you can add a checkbox at the end of your form and make it compulsory. Do not forget to choose the option of unchecked by default.

Manage and Delete User’s Data by Request

You have access to the Form Entries menu as a Website administrator and can manage all the collected data. Upon a user’s request to delete data, you can do so from here.

Add a Privacy Policy Page

When you want to secure data collection with ARForms Plugin, it is necessary to add a Privacy Policy page. This should entail what you do with user’s data and how you manage it. WordPress provides you with a basic template of Privacy Policy which you can utilize in the beginning. However, you must create your own Privacy Policy page by understanding its nuances.

Cookie Consent Banner

If your Website is collecting any cookie data, you must add a Cookie Consent Banner to your Website. It must inform the data being collected by your Website and its purpose. The users must be able to tailor their cookie preferences by being able to accept all conditions, partially accept, or decline completely.
Do you know in 2023, TikTok was fined $5.4 million just because they made the cookie declining process intense and confusing as opposed to the accepting process.

Advanced Security and In-built Spam Protection Measures

• ARForms facilitates a free re-CAPTCHA add-on for ensuring security while collecting data.
• ARForms comes with an advanced and invisible spam protection. This helps you to prevent the Contact Form spam and keep the data collection process safe and smooth.
• An interesting feature with ARForms is the Show Confirmation Summary. Herein, a user can check the data they submit once again after hitting the submit button. They have an option to edit or finally submit data. This can help the users to have a look at what they are providing.

It’s Your Time to Be GDPR Compliant

There is nothing to be scared about in GDPR compliance. You just need to keep in mind the three top things. Consent, Transparency of Purpose, and Right to Modify or Delete Data to the User. This is going to help you immensely to gain trust and loyalty from your Website visitors.

ARForms as a form builder Plugin is going to take care of all the things that you need to keep in check to be compliant. So, do not worry and start building your dream blog, or a dream membership Website.

FAQs for GDPR Compliant Online Forms

1) What is the fine amount if we are not GDPR compliant?

The fine amount can go up to €20 million or 4% of your Worldwide turnover, whichever is higher. Based on the case at hand, the EU Regulatory body decides the fine amount.

2) Is there any GDPR Compliant Membership Plugin?

Checkout ARMember, the best membership plugin with an in-built support of all ARForms features. Thus, a completely GDPR compliant package solving your hassle of memberships as well as forms.

3) Why does GDPR affect non-EU Websites as well?

When you’re on the internet, your availability is worldwide. Even if you do not have any EU member explicitly, you never know who will access your Website when. Thus, it is safer to be compliant, no matter the location.

More Informative Blogs To Read:

• How To Avoid Common Mistake When You Using Form Plugins
• A Step By Step Guide for Creating WordPress Contact Form