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WP AutoTerms | A Plugin that Helps you be Law Compliant

Previously, WP AutoTerms was called “Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy”. Bearing in mind, the general fines for GDPR noncompliance are large. They can be as high as €20 million or 4% of a company’s total global revenue, whichever is larger. This is the maximum fine for the most serious violations.

For instance, not having sufficient customer consent to process data or violating core Privacy by Design concepts. However, there is a class approach to fines. For example, a company faces a 2% fine for not having their records in order. Failure to notify the supervising authority and data subject about a breach. Or not conduct an impact assessment.

It is important to note that these rules apply to both controllers and processors. For example, Egnyte helps customers achieve GDPR compliance by placing industry-leading, content creation, and data governance at the core of their strategy. Their SaaS solution shows exactly where data resides across a network. Identifies personal/private and sensitive data, and reports information efficiently.

What is WP AutoTerms?

WP AutoTerms plugin for WordPress helps you to create the legal agreements for your WordPress website needs.

WP AutoTerms plugin helps you with a wide range of legal requirements your WordPress website might be required to keep up with. Such as the GDPR law or the requirement to have a disclosure for affiliate links.

WP AutoTerms

You can also create your own legal pages and even manage your Acceptable Use Policy through WP AutoTerms. As can be seen, from my earlier mention, previously, WP AutoTerms was called “Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy”.

WP AutoTerms helps you create three of the most important legal pages your WordPress website needs. Using a simple wizard, such as a Privacy Policy, a Terms & Conditions Agreement or a Cookies Policy.

COMPLIANCE KITS

“Compliance Kits” can help you with certain legal compliance requirements:

  • Links to Legal Pages. Your legal pages must be visible and accessible to all users. Use this Kit and automatically insert the links to your legal pages in the footer section of your website.
  • Update Notices of Legal Pages. It is a best practice to inform users when you have updated your legal pages. After a legal page update, use this Kit to show an announcement bar for a limited time to inform your users.

PREMIUM FEATURES

The following features are available under WP AutoTerms Premium:

  • GDPR Privacy Policy. Create a Privacy Policy with GDPR wording.
  • Cookies Notice. Among other things, the EU Cookies Directive law requires you to inform users that you use cookies through your website. Use this Kit to show an announcement bar to comply with some of the EU Cookies Directive requirements.
  • Endorsements. You need to disclose if you have affiliate links on your website. Use this Kit to include a disclaimer at the end of your posts with affiliate links.

Currently, the Cookies Notice kit IS NOT a solution to load third-party JS scripts. You can only use the kit to show a notice message to users.

How do I Install the WP Auto Terms Plugin?

First, click that beautiful button to download the WordPress plugin. “That’ll wake ya up in the morning.” Here are the Most Recent Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Zip

Secondly, login to your WordPress Admin Dashboard (yourdomain.com/wp-login.php). Then again, hover over the WordPress Plugins in the left sidebar and click Add New.

wordpress plugins add new

With this in mind, click on the Upload Plugin button at the top of the Add Plugins page.

Finally, click the choose file button and choose the Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy zip file.

How to add WP AutoTerms plugin

Activate the Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy WordPress Plugin.

Click on the Activation link once the WordPress plugin has been successfully installed.

auto terms of service privacy policy activate

You should now see the Plugins page – since the Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy plugin has been activated.

Thereafter, click on the Settings link in the Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy row.

wordpress auto terms of service and privacy policy settings

Now, you need to fill out your information!  

This is to make sure that all references to your company website-related information in terms of service and privacy policy are replaced by the plugin with the information that you provide.

I’ll hold your hand through the process because we know you’re scared.

Of course, your hand feels a little sweaty. But, it’s OK! There’s nothing to be ashamed of, for one thing, it happens to all of us 😉.

  • On/Off: Switch this to On/Displaying.  This must be done so that we can add the shortcode to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy pages in later steps.
  • TOS Heading: This is the title that appears at the top of the terms of service content.  We’re going to set this to Terms but feel free to name this whatever you like.  We made this equal to Terms because Terms of Service looks redundant on the page that we created.
  • PP Heading:  This is the title that appears at the top of the privacy policy content.  We’re going to set this to Privacy but feel free to name this whatever you like. We have it named Privacy because it doesn’t look as redundant as Privacy Policy does on the page.
  • Full Name: This is your company’s full name including the business extension (LLC, Inc, etc.).  They use the example of Automattic, Inc.
  • Name: This is your company’s name minus the business extension.  Not forgetting, they use the example of Automattic.

wordpress plugin auto terms of service privacy policy options

Don’t be scared – I was frightened too – keep filling this bad boy out!
  • Possessive Name: Enter the possessive version of the name that you entered above. In English grammar, you use apostrophe s (’s), also known as possessive ’s, to show that something belongs to someone or something else.  So, if your website’s name is WPLauncher.com, you add an apostrophe s to get the possessive version of the name; ie WPLauncher.com’s. In other words, since my brother and I co-founded WPLauncher.com, we are WPLauncher.com’s co-founders – we belong to WPLauncher.com.
  • Domain Name: Include the domain name of your site without http://www. Their example is Automattic.com.
  • Official Website URL: Add the domain name of your site with http://www. e.g. http://www.automattic.com.
  • Minimum Age: Enter the minimum age of a user on your site.  For example, 13.
  • Time Period for changing fees and for notifications: Enter the time period that you provide users for changing your site’s fees and for notifications.  For example, thirty (30) days.
  • Time Period for replying to priority email:  Give your customers a break down of how long they should expect to wait for a response to a priority email.  The amount they provide is one business day.
  • Time Period for determining maximum damages: This is the time period for determining maximum damages.  Make sure NOT to include an S after month.  For example twelve (12) months.

wordpress plugin auto terms of service and privacy policy options

Last part – the finish line is near!
  • DMCA Notice URL: We’re going to leave this field blank.  If you want to link to a DMCA notice page, make sure to create that page and add the URL to it here.  Their example is http://automattic.com/dmca-notice/ (Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Notice).
  • Venue: List the state where your company resides and ideally where you live.  If you are out of the United States to list your region and country or just country.  Their example is the State of California, in the United States.
  • Court Location: List the county where your company currently resides. Their example is San Francisco County, California.
  • Arbitration Location:  List the city where your company currently resides.  For example, San Francisco, California.
Click the blue Save Changes button!

WP AutoTerms DMCA Notice Guide

After all, you can stick a fork in this step – since it’s done!

I’ll show you how to add the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy pages generated by this plugin in a later step.

When you see the generated content you’ll scream PHEWWWW and will wipe your brow.  You’ll also talk to a higher power (or your version of a higher power or lack thereof) and say please give jmexclusives tons of good juju (Donation) for helping me not have to write this or pay a lawyer to do this.  I love that love too 😉.

Download WP AutoTerms

You get to move onto your next plugin, where you’ll learn how to add Facebook Comments to your post pages.  I know it gets kinda old but seriously you’re going to feel really accomplished. When you complete all of the steps involved in creating this blog.

And in fact, you’re going to have a beautiful blog at the end of it all. You can use it to share your ideas, your hopes and your dreams (or just random things you like) with the world!

You can buy the license for WP AutoTerms through the plugin directly, after installation. So, to get started, DOWNLOAD the WP AUTO TERMS PLUGIN first!

Takeaway,

Simply put, the EU GDPR Compliance is an ambitious and pioneering attempt. To create a comprehensive, unified standard for digital privacy and data protection. The problems it addresses are complex, and as an enforcement mechanism, it will continue to mature over time.

Right now, its mandate is primarily educational. Demanding transparency in the name of keeping citizens informed about the use of their data. And it has been pretty successful at shining a spotlight on shady practices. That only tech experts and academics were widely familiar with before its implementation.

Secondarily, the EU GDPR Compliance can be a useful tool for policing and curbing the worst excesses and exploitation. Such as dark patterns, data mining and so on. However, it is important to note that for all its virtues, the GDPR does little to question existing models.

Read more about the recent Facebook Data Breach and Yahoo Security Breach.

The emerging unintended side effects are wholly foreseeable consequences. Of treating data as a commodity rather than as a collective good. Whilst, the GDPR could certainly boost the power of big tech. Or even reinforce the concerning data use practices that inspired the GDPR to begin with.

Three years in, it seems as if the EU GDPR Compliance has failed. Especially, to mitigate the de facto monopoly technology giants have on the collection and use of data. Bureaucratic control will never be as effective as a mobilized and vigilant citizenry.

That uses democratic voices to demand new rules and a different society. That citizenry is beginning to demand — and deserves — better governance of technology. As well as, data collection and automated decision making. 

Related Resources;

By all means, apart from Whois and ICANN, I hope the above-revised guide on WP AutoTerms as well as EU GDPR Compliance and EU General Data Protection (GDPR) was helpful.

However, if you’ll require more guidance pertaining to this or more of our blog topics, please Contact Us. You can also share your questions, suggestions, additional links, etc. in the comments box below this blog post.

And you can also read and learn more about;

  1. What is a Whois Domain Lookup?
  2. GDPR Benefits | Everything Webmasters Should Know
  3. Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Whois Domain Lookup
  4. GDPR Cookies Policy | Why Marketers Should Love It
  5. How is AMP Plugin for WordPress useful?
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