Tuesday, May 29, 2018

MY PRIVACY POLICY


MY PRIVACY POLICY

Or--- This Place is NOT a Site of Commerce

In late May, a writing friend wrote in a panicked state and asked if she should close her personal blog because of the new EU rules that went into full enforcement May 25.





I’ve never heard of the  EU GDPR compliancy regulations
                  

So I took a crash course. Bottom line is that it doesn’t apply to blogs like mine, where I sell noting. Blogger (a Google product) may sell your data and certainly mine, but I have never made a cent, nor intend to monetize this blog.


Check this here, if you are worried:


Does GDPR apply to me?
It applies to you if you process personal information AND are processing it as part of an enterprise. Article 4(18) defines enterprise as ‘a natural or legal person engaged in an economic activity, irrespective of its legal form, including partnerships or associations regularly engaged in an economic activity’. So basically, it seems that if you aren’t making any money through your blog you are ok. If you are making any money, then you need to read on…




 I think these privacy protections may even help some who are worried about the selling of our data. But I’m not even sure about that.

This blog and my website are not monetized by me. In fact, my website is not monetized by anyone directly as it is not a “free” product to me.

Yes, I do know that if it’s “free,” we are the product. So I’m the product, not the merchant.

I add that I do use Statcounter for both my blog and website. Statcounter claims to be GDPR compliant. I personally cannot be sure who they share what data with, but I do not ever get anything identifying any individual IP address, nor sell such.

But let it be stated here that if you wish to unsubscribe because of concerns regarding your data, or avoid ever looking at my website, I will be sad but it is a personal choice, and it is your choice.

Call the preceding sentence my "privacy policy compliance," and a repeat that I don't sell anything, most especially my valued precious readers. Not now, not ever.


I write  about what I am doing and thinking, and if you buy my book(s) you pay someone who may or may not pay me indirectly. But data mining is not part of what I get or do. Same for my worried colleague.


Hey, I’m lucky if I get your attention for five minutes, and I’m grateful you care.

In addition, I have taken the steps to secure my website with encryption (SSL certificate) and both this Blogger blog and my personal website are now https compliant, something techies have been urging for a while.  I do care to be a good citizen of the Internet world, because I care not only for myself, but for anyone who interacts with me.


Be not afraid, people. Not everything is out to get us. The Internet is fraught with possibilities for abuse, but so many benefit, too.



6 comments:

Vijaya said...

Good one Mirka.

Evelyn said...

I've never worried about my data on your site. And I enjoy your blog so you don't have to worry about my unsubscribing.

Tina Cho said...

Wonderfully stated, Mirka.

Trine Grillo said...

Thank you, Mirka. I think we are exposed to too much information that keeps us worried over just about everything.
Trine

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Nice post, Mirka. My blogs are not monetized, either. I mention my books and give websites, but I don't pay to boost anything on my blogs or on FB (even though FB keeps begging me to.) The whole thing of social media for me is connecting with other people, and I've made a lot of nice friends that way.

Barbara Etlin said...

Good to know. Thanks, Mirka. I can stop worrying about my own blog. I've spent far too much time worrying and reading lengthy terms of contract--from almost everyone lately.