Data Protection Regulations and Wix Users

Data privacy laws are increasingly in use around the globe. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) are among the best known examples. These laws are designed to protect the rights of citizens and consumers in an online world. Wix has compiled a range of useful tools and information to help you in being compliant with privacy legislation.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to protect the fundamental right to privacy and the protection of the personal data of European Union (EU) citizens. This regulation affects any entity (including websites) that processes EU citizens' personal data. Whether or not you, or your business, is located in the EU; if you have EU site-visitors or, if your marketing campaigns target EU citizens, this affects you.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) aims to protect the consumer rights of California residents. The act serves to encourage stronger privacy for consumers and promote greater transparency for companies who have an online presence in the state.

Brazil's  Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) serves to protect the fundamental right to privacy and the protection of the personal data of Brazilian citizens. This regulation affects any entity (including websites) that processes Brazilian citizens' personal data. Whether or not you, or your business, is located in Brazil; if you have Brazilian site-visitors, this affects you.

Transparency is a core value of privacy legislation. A privacy policy is a statement that discloses some or all of the ways a website collects, uses, discloses, and manages the data of its visitors and customers. It fulfills a legal requirement to protect a visitor or client's privacy. Having a privacy policy on your site serves to inform your visitors about what happens with their data. Creating your privacy policy is a first step in protecting your site from litigation. 

Cookies are small pieces of data stored on a site visitor's browser. They are typically used to keep track of the settings users have selected and actions they have taken on a site. Privacy laws may demand that you inform your visitors about which cookies are being used on your site. Your visitors may also have the right to decline non-essential cookies. 

According to data privacy laws such as the GDPR and the CCPA, the personal information collected by your site remains the property of your site visitor. They may request a copy of their data, or even demand to have their data permanently deleted.

When helping clients to build their sites, Wix partners need to be aware of the privacy laws that may affect those sites. 

Using forms is one of the principal ways of gathering personal information from your site visitors. Be aware of the ways to gain your visitors' consent before processing their data. 

Using custom code may harvest and store your visitors' data in different ways. In accordance with both the CCPA and the GDPR, your site visitors may request a copy of their data that your site has collected. They may also request that you permanently delete their data.