How to Implement GDPR Compliance

Navigate to Admin › Content › Elements › Pages › Add New Page. Set Title "Privacy Policy" and URL Key "privacy-policy". Add your approved policy content. Set Store View(s) to your EU stores. Save and enable.

Add a footer link: Content › Elements › Blocks › search for "Footer Links" (or a similarly named footer block). Edit and add a link using a store-aware directive:

<a href="{{store url='privacy-policy'}}">Privacy Policy</a>

If your theme lacks a footer block, go to Content › Design › Configuration › [EU Store View] › Footer › Miscellaneous HTML and add the anchor link. Flush cache via System › Cache Management › Flush Magento Cache.

Option A — Native banner (baseline; Website scope):

Navigate to Stores › Configuration › General › Web › Default Cookie Settings. Set Cookie Restriction Mode = Yes at the Website scope for your EU site(s). Optionally adjust Cookie Lifetime to a minimal necessary duration. Save, then flush cache.

Option B — CMP integration (recommended if using analytics/ads):

Install and configure a CMP to block all non-essential tags by default and gate third-party scripts via consent:

• Install CMP script: Content › Design › Configuration › [Store View] › HTML Head › Scripts and Style Sheets. Paste your CMP script.
• Configure categories: In the CMP, set default-deny for non-essential categories (e.g., analytics, ads, personalization) until consent is granted.
• Tag Manager setup: In Google Tag Manager, add a Consent Initialization tag, then set tag firing conditions based on CMP consent signals (e.g., analytics_storage, ad_storage).
• Validate: Use GTM Preview/Debug to confirm no marketing tags fire before consent; verify they fire after accepting consent.
• Update banner text: Link to your Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.

Business impact: A CMP preserves attribution accuracy and ad optimization by ensuring tracking resumes only after consent, improving ROAS measurement and reducing wasted ad spend.

Enable agreements (Website scope): Stores › Configuration › Sales › Checkout › Checkout Options › Enable Terms and Conditions = Yes. Use the scope selector to set this at the correct Website.

Create agreement: Stores › Settings › Terms and Conditions › Add New Condition:

• Name: "Privacy & Cookies Policy" (include versioning, e.g., "v2, effective 2025-09-01")
• Status: Enabled
• Checkbox Text: "I agree to the Privacy & Cookies Policy"
• Content: Summarize and link to /privacy-policy and your cookie policy
• Applied: Automatically

Assign to relevant Store Views/languages and create separate agreements per language store view to support localization and audit trails. Save and clear cache.

Business impact: Clear policy acknowledgment can reduce misunderstandings, cancellations, and chargebacks, lowering support effort and dispute fees.

Navigate to Stores › Configuration › Customers › Newsletter › Subscription Options (Website scope): Set Need to Confirm = Yes. Optionally allow guest subscriptions as per your policy. Ensure your mail transport and cron are configured so confirmation emails send.

Verification:

• Subscribe with a test email and confirm receipt of the confirmation email within 5 minutes.
• Click the confirmation link and verify status flips to Subscribed in Customers › All Customers › [Customer] › Newsletter tab.
• Ensure cron is running (bin/magento cron:run) and transactional emails are configured (Stores › Configuration › Advanced › System › Mail Sending Settings).
• Consider updating the newsletter email templates to reference the Privacy Policy (Marketing › Communications › Email Templates).

Implement via a custom module and layout XML to avoid brittle template overrides. Add a child block/field to the contact form with a required checkbox labeled with a link to your Privacy Policy (input name example: gdpr_consent).

Implement server-side validation: create a small plugin/observer on Magento\Contact\Controller\Index\Post to check the request parameter and throw a localized error if not present. Ensure compatibility with reCAPTCHA (Stores › Configuration › Security › Google reCAPTCHA) and form key validation. Deploy static content and clear cache. Test on staging first.

Consent evidence capture:

• Update the Contact Form email template (Marketing › Communications › Email Templates › Add New Template › Load default: Contact Form) to include: "Consent: {{var gdpr_consent ? 'Yes' : 'No'}}" and a timestamp/IP if available.
• Optionally, create a custom table to log submissions with consent value and IP for audit, with a defined retention period per your policy.

For a specific requester: 1) Verify identity via your SOP. 2) Export customer profile: System › Data Transfer › Export › Entity Type = Customers Main File. Filter by email and export CSV. 3) Export addresses similarly (Entity Type = Customer Addresses). 4) Export orders if requested: Sales › Orders grid › filter by customer › Export = CSV.

Also consider additional data sources:

• Reviews: Marketing › User Content › Reviews (filter by customer)
• Newsletter status: Customers › All Customers › [Customer] › Newsletter tab
• Quotes/abandoned carts: Sales › Carts › Abandoned Carts (filter by email)
• Wishlists: via Reports or database where applicable
• Third parties: payment gateways, shipping providers, analytics, email service providers—request exports where applicable

Consolidate files, review for third-party data, and securely transmit to the verified requester. Document the request and response date. Define an SLA: legal maximum 30 days; set an internal target of 7 days. Consider extensions/automation to reduce handling time and errors.

If deletion is requested and permitted by your retention policy: Customers › All Customers › search for the account › select › Actions › Delete. If deletion is blocked due to order retention rules or customizations, use a GDPR/anonymization extension to pseudonymize personal fields while preserving order records for accounting.

Before deletion/anonymization:

• Back up the database or export the customer record
• Test the process in staging first
• Document the lawful basis and any retention exceptions (e.g., accounting) before proceeding

Update your SOP to handle exceptions and record actions taken.

Navigate to Stores › Configuration › Advanced › System › Log: Enable Log Cleaning = Yes. Set Save Log, Days to your policy (e.g., 180 days). Save and flush cache.

Ensure cron is configured so log cleaning runs automatically (bin/magento cron:install on server; verify crontab). Document your retention schedule in your privacy policy and review quarterly.

Business impact: Shorter retention reduces database size, improving report speed and lowering hosting costs.

Navigate to Marketing › Communications › Email Templates › Add New Template. Load a default footer template, customize to include a short privacy note and link to /privacy-policy.

Assign the footer across all transactional emails at Stores › Configuration › General › Design › Transactional Emails › Footer Template. Use Stores › Configuration › Sales › Sales Emails only when replacing specific sales email body templates (order, invoice, shipment, etc.).

Ensure any tracking pixels or link decorators that set cookies are disabled unless consent is granted (use your CMP/Tag Manager conditions) so no trackers load before consent.