4 ms·

Is visitor's IP address a "data"? If yes, you can't have a web server log.

worble 9y ago
>you can't have a web server log Yes you can, you just need to take all possible precations to keep that data safe, which by and large means encrypting it properly and ensuring only people who need to have access to it have access to it.
DanBC 9y ago
An IP address is only personal data if you can link it with other stuff to identify a natural person. If your weblogs are used to prevent crime (fraud, for example), you're allowed to keep them. People are making the mistake of thinking that "user permission" is the only reason you can keep data, but that's not true.
- megaman22 9y ago
  How far does this go, though? For example, on my silly little blog, I've got logging for each http request that records the url hit, the ip address, and a browser user agent. I can trace that session through, and have a pretty good fingerprint of that user from that alone. If that person goes and sends me an email or leaves a comment with some tidbit of information that correlates (name, where they are from, email, what post they were reading, etc), have I now accidentally collected enough information that it violates GPDR?
  - PuffinBlue 9y ago
    What do you mean 'violates GDPR'? GDPR doesn't necessarily make having such info illegal. It's more what you do with it and how you inform and allow the individual to control/delete it.
- extra88 9y ago
  Say the HN logs the ip, URL visited, and the referrer: 123.123.123.123 200 https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC referrer https://news.ycombinator.com/news https://news.ycombinator.com/news 123.123.123.123 200 https://news.ycombinator.com/changepw https://news.ycombinator.com/changepw referrer https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC This log now links this ip address to user account DanBC (since the change password link is only present on the page when the user themselves visits it). Your user page has information that identifies you as a natural person. Now what? It seems like anyone could be entitled to collect the logs to prevent fraud (and abuse). What about providing people with "their" data if they request it? If they want to delete their account, does that include deleting these lines in the logs?
isbvhodnvemrwvn 9y ago
That's not true. One of the bases for legal processing is legitimate interest, as long as it doesn't override data subject's legitimate interest or fundamental rights and freedoms. You can use the IP address for support, or for keeping track of bans, but you have to inform the user about it, keep the minimal amount of information you can, have a retention policy in place, restrict access to these logs to only people who legitimately need them. If you don't provide support then you don't need the data.

>you can't have a web server log Yes you can, you just need to take all possible precations to keep that data safe, which by and large means encrypting it properly and ensuring only people who need to have access to it have access to it.

DanBC 9y ago

An IP address is only personal data if you can link it with other stuff to identify a natural person. If your weblogs are used to prevent crime (fraud, for example), you're allowed to keep them. People are making the mistake of thinking that "user permission" is the only reason you can keep data, but that's not true.

megaman22 9y ago
How far does this go, though? For example, on my silly little blog, I've got logging for each http request that records the url hit, the ip address, and a browser user agent. I can trace that session through, and have a pretty good fingerprint of that user from that alone. If that person goes and sends me an email or leaves a comment with some tidbit of information that correlates (name, where they are from, email, what post they were reading, etc), have I now accidentally collected enough information that it violates GPDR?
- PuffinBlue 9y ago
  What do you mean 'violates GDPR'? GDPR doesn't necessarily make having such info illegal. It's more what you do with it and how you inform and allow the individual to control/delete it.
extra88 9y ago
Say the HN logs the ip, URL visited, and the referrer: 123.123.123.123 200 https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC referrer https://news.ycombinator.com/news https://news.ycombinator.com/news 123.123.123.123 200 https://news.ycombinator.com/changepw https://news.ycombinator.com/changepw referrer https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=DanBC This log now links this ip address to user account DanBC (since the change password link is only present on the page when the user themselves visits it). Your user page has information that identifies you as a natural person. Now what? It seems like anyone could be entitled to collect the logs to prevent fraud (and abuse). What about providing people with "their" data if they request it? If they want to delete their account, does that include deleting these lines in the logs?

isbvhodnvemrwvn 9y ago

That's not true. One of the bases for legal processing is legitimate interest, as long as it doesn't override data subject's legitimate interest or fundamental rights and freedoms. You can use the IP address for support, or for keeping track of bans, but you have to inform the user about it, keep the minimal amount of information you can, have a retention policy in place, restrict access to these logs to only people who legitimately need them. If you don't provide support then you don't need the data.