internet privacy gdpr open-source-software
What legal conditions do I have to meet to open an open source website?
<p>I'm working on a website for a pretty long time and in the close future I want to open it into the public. The problem is, my website collects personal data and cookies which (in my country - Poland) must be documented in something called privacy policy because of GDPR, etc, etc.</p>
<p>I've written some basic policy, but I'm stressed about locations. In every policy I saw, there were an address of a company working on the site.</p>
<p>I don't want to share my private address. I'm scared about this.</p>

<h2>Don't collect or process personal data</h2>

<p>Many (though of course not all) websites can easily be run without collecting or otherwise processing any personal data. The position of GDPR is that if you are not able to fulfil the basic, simplest core conditions for processing personal data (understanding what you're processing and why and why it's allowed, describing it in a privacy policy, having a non-underage person who's responsible for that) then you are not allowed to process personal data of other people. So don't. Build your website so that any personal data are not collected.</p>

<p>The basics of GDPR is that you must design your software (here the website) in a manner that :</p>

<ul>
<li>You do not collect / compile / use any private data that is unnecessary to your software.</li>
<li>You must state what type of private data you are collecting and why</li>
<li>You must ensure a reasonable security of those datas</li>
<li>You must be able to ensure the application of the rights related to those personal datas.</li>
</ul>

<p>rights related to personal data:</p>

<ul>
<li>right to know (know which datas about a specific person you own)</li>
<li>right to edit those datas</li>
<li>right to freeze the use of those datas for a period of time</li>
<li>right to delete definitively those datas</li>
</ul>

<p>(there are some others but they are related to some specific mechanics)</p>

<p>personal data definition:
any type of data that can allow, directly or indirectly, the identification of a person (directly : an email address, indirectly: the person owns a brown dog and lives in XXXXX city)</p>

<p>Not knowing which type of website you are building, it will be difficult for me to go further or give you precise advices.</p>

<p>Using a software, you are supposed to be able to contact someone regarding those rights. </p>

<p>My advice would be to create an email dedicated to this website (exemple : youwebsite.contact@mail.com) and disclose it.</p>

<p>Don't let those rules deter you, they are simple to apply once you know them :)</p>

<p>good luck with your website and do not hesitate to ask further questions</p>
