/privacy_xh

Cookie guard for CMSimple_XH

Primary LanguagePHPGNU General Public License v3.0GPL-3.0

Privacy_XH

Privacy_XH helps to make a website conform to the GDPR and similar regulations regarding the privacy of visitors. It does so by emitting a form on every page with relevant information giving the visitor the possibility to explicitly opt in to or refuse the usage of cookies. In addition Privacy_XH facilitates to guard the execution of other code that sets cookies which might violate the privacy of users.

Requirements

Privacy_XH is a plugin for CMSimple_XH. It requires CMSimple_XH ≥ 1.7.0, and PHP ≥ 7.1.0.

Download

The lastest release is available for download on Github.

Installation

The installation is done as with many other CMSimple_XH plugins. See the CMSimple_XH Wiki for further details.

  1. Backup the data on your server.
  2. Unzip the distribution on your computer.
  3. Upload the whole folder privacy/ to your server into the plugins/ folder of CMSimple_XH.
  4. Set write permissions for the subfolders config/, css/ and languages/.
  5. Switch to Privacy in the back-end of the Website to check if all requirements are fulfilled.

Settings

The configuration of the plugin is done as with many other CMSimple_XH plugins in the back-end of the Website. Select Plugins → Privacy.

You can change the default settings of Privacy_XH under Config. Hints for the options will be displayed when hovering over the help icons with your mouse.

Localization is done under Language. You can translate the character strings to your own language if there is no appropriate language file available, or customize them according to your needs.

The look of the Privacy_XH can be customized under Stylesheet.

Usage

To activate the privacy form, add the following to your template in a suitable place:

<?=privacy()?>

You should adapt the message in Language according to your needs. However, language texts do not accept any HTML markup, but you likely want to add links to the imprint and privacy policy pages; to be able to do that, you need to prepare a hidden page, and enter its page heading in Config → Newsbox.

To avoid cookies being sent from other plugins or extensions before the user has opted in, you have to make some changes to the way these extensions are integrated. If the code is in the template, you can guard it from being executed before the visitor has opted in by encapsulating it the following way:

<?php if (privacy_agreed()):?>
<!-- code that requires opt in -->
<?php endif?>

If the code that has to be guarded is called from the content, instead of e.g. calling:

{{{func(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)}}}

call the following instead:

{{{privacy_guard('func', 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)}}}

Note, that privacy_guard() accepts any number of arguments in addition to the function name.

Which plugins and extensions have to be guarded depends on the jurisdiction of your country (or probably the country where the Website is hosted; I am not a lawyer), and of course on which information these extensions are storing in the cookies. This should be documented in the user manuals of the plugins; otherwise ask the vendor.

Please note that the privacy form is never shown when you are logged in as adminstrator.

Limitations

If other plugins send cookies without being called explicitly, Privacy_XH does not prevent these cookies to be sent.

Troubleshooting

Report bugs and ask for support either on Github or in the CMSimple_XH Forum.

License

Privacy_XH is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

Privacy_XH is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantibility or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with Privacy_XH. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

Copyright © Christoph M. Becker

Czech translation © Josef Němec
Dutch translation © Rob Zeijen

Credits

Privacy_XH is inspired by oldnema, who pointed me to the EU cookie law, and the usefulness of such a plugin. Thank you!

The plugin logo is designed by Alexander Moore. Many thanks for publishing this icon under GPL.

Many thanks to the community at the CMSimple_XH Forum for tips, suggestions and testing.

And last but not least many thanks to Peter Harteg, the “father” of CMSimple, and all developers of CMSimple_XH without whom this amazing CMS would not exist.