How to disable the IP Address tracking

[daniel720527]

Hello,

at May, 28 2018 enforces the new law GDPR in the EU. For avoiding to have to use an opt-in/out form for the WP Affiliate Platform (users have to allow the tracking, similar like Google Analytics) I want to disable the IP Address Tracking, so the user’s IPs keep anonym / unknown. Are there any possibilities to do that in the settings?

Thanks, Daniel

[wzp]

Insofar as the Affiliate Platform plugin is concerned; it does not “track” a visitor’s IP address:

https://support.tipsandtricks-hq.com/forums/topic/wp-affiliate-customer-tracking

It does “capture” the IP address, but not for tracking purposes:

https://support.tipsandtricks-hq.com/forums/topic/tracking-ips-and-cookies

For tracking, it uses browser cookies; and if GDPR applies to you, your site should have already taken steps to be in compliance with the existing EU “cookie law,” that requires appropriate disclosures about the use of browser cookies on your site. Such a disclosure needs to be accessible from every possible landing page; an affiliate may send a visitor to.

[daniel720527]

My website is located in the EU. Insofar the GDPR applies to my website.

Maybe I wrote missunderstanding. If I check the statistic “Clickthrough Data” I see all the custumer’s IP addresses. I want to disable the IP recording or storing of the plugin WP Affiliate Platform in general.

Or I have to offer the users an opt-out for that when they come to my website. That seems to be the more complicate version. That’s why I prefer deactivate the IP recording.

How is possible to swich off the IP recording?

[wzp]

The operative word here is “statistical.” The IP addresses there are not considered “personally identifiable information.” In other words, suppose a crime were committed. There is no way any of those IP addresses can be used to “personally identify” a specific individual. At worse, the pool of suspects can be narrowed down to a group of people living in a house, or who visited a cafe at a particular time; but the IP addresses themselves cannot identify a specific person. Ask any defense attorney, and they’ll say the same thing.

IP addresses used for “statistical purposes” are also required for preventing hacking attacks. Your hosting provider and ISP record these things. Not using IP addresses for “statistical purposes” will make defenses against hacking attacks practically impossible.

Granted, people use TOR and VPN to mask their IP addresses, but that’s usually because they are in situations where even group association with an IP address can mean life or death.

Even if the plugin were not “recording” the IP addresses, the information is still accessible to you; through the serrver logs, site analytics, and other lower level diagnostics.

[admin]

I can add an option to disable the logging of IP address when a click is recorded. So the IP address field will just be empty for the click. Will that work for you?

[Author]

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