Yeah, I've been thinking about closing the comments. I don't get many anyway, but the people who do comment might care that they're gone.
I'll be curious to see whether GDPR results in a web with fewer features, or maybe features that don't work as well. I tried DuckDuckGo, for example, but I dropped it quickly because Google's results are so much better. I actually like that it takes my previous searches into consideration.
Fortunately I don't do any analytics or advertising. I've already set up the server logs to be deleted after a month. Commenters can't create accounts, but it wouldn't be too hard for me to delete their comments. I should probably make a privacy policy.
WordPress does have some plugins for complying with GDPR, so I'm going to try one of those to see what else needs to change, in those developers' opinion. If only there were such a thing as certification so I could trust anyone was doing more than guessing!
Anyway, thanks for your feedback. I appreciated your article.
The only thing is that I'm running the site myself. That's why I was thinking of moving the content to a blog host that would manage the back end for me. But maybe even moderating the comments myself would make me the processor or controller. If every blogger on Tumblr or wherever is subject to GDPR that way, wow is the web in trouble.
That's sort of what I was thinking, though I don't know how well I'll resist griping about GDPR there. :D
People's opinions on this regulation differ so dramatically that even when I read something in it that sounds pretty clear, I second-guess myself and worry that the courts will side with the worst-case interpretations.
Would you say a personal blogger in the US needs an EU representative if they're running a WordPress installation on a shared web host? I've been debating with myself whether I need to move my content somewhere like wordpress.com to avoid that requirement. The personal information I process comes from comments and web server logs, and I'm not sure that counts as occasional.
On the other hand, I look at Article 3, and I'm not sure posting content on a personal blog counts as offering goods and services. Or do blog comments count as a service?
I'll be curious to see whether GDPR results in a web with fewer features, or maybe features that don't work as well. I tried DuckDuckGo, for example, but I dropped it quickly because Google's results are so much better. I actually like that it takes my previous searches into consideration.