Is Your Company’s Website ADA and GDPR Compliant?

Posted January 01, 2019 in ADA and GDPR Compliant

With constantly changing rules and regulations, it can be difficult to know if your company is following all of the rules all the time. One area that is often skipped over is your website. Businesses are starting to rely more and more on their websites, whether they are an online retailer or not, and websites must be compliant with the ADA and GDPR.

If you are wondering if your company’s website is compliant, contact Gallant Risk & Insurance Services at (951) 368-0700 or contact us online.

What is ADA Compliance?

ADA is the Americans with Disability Act. When the act was first passed in 1990, the internet was not a significant part of our lives. Therefore, no one gave much thought to whether or not a website was ADA compliant. Now, however, it is becoming more and more important. Not only will compliance make your business more marketable and available to a wider audience, but it will also protect you from compliance-related lawsuits. ADA compliance means that your website is accessible to everyone, regardless of disability. Nearly 20 percent of Americans have a disability (visual, auditory, physical, or cognitive) that affects the way they view a website. Your website must be accessible to individuals with disabilities through any means, including laptops, tablets, cells phones, and desktop computers.

Ways to Ensure Compliance

• Your company’s website must be easy to read and understand.
• Your website must be accessible by any means, and users should be able to operate the site regardless of their disability.
• All images and videos must have clearly written captions that describe the events in the image or video for visually impaired users. Audible “screen-readers” will be able to pick up captions.
• There should be no time limits.
• All colors for important features, such as buttons, must be high contrast so users can discern their purpose.
• Websites must have clearly defined labels.
• All site features must be arranged in a way that ADA devices can interpret.

What is GDPR Compliance?

GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation. This law was passed in 2016 and is designed to give users and consumers full control over the amount of personal data that is collected and the way it is used, allowing for greater user protection.

Ways to Ensure Compliance

• All privacy policies must be written clearly, and be easy to find on your website.
• Consent forms designed to invite users to subscribe to newsletters or emails must be left blank. The user must be able to opt-in for a subscription and not have to click a box or button to unsubscribe.
• A separate consent box must be present asking if users wish to receive other forms of communication, such as telephone calls or standard mail.
• Websites must ask permission to give any personal details to a third party.
• Users must be able to opt-out or unsubscribe from any program as they wish.
• Your website must have procedures set in place to detect and report any personal data breaches.
• E-commerce websites must remove all of their users’ personal information after a reasonable, set period of time.