Error Tracking and Privacy: GDPR Compliance Guide

Privacy Considerations in Error Tracking

Error tracking often involves collecting sensitive data. It's crucial to implement privacy-compliant practices to protect user data and meet regulatory requirements.

GDPR Compliance

The General Data Protection Regulation requires specific measures for data collection and processing:

GDPR Requirements

• Obtain explicit consent for data collection
• Implement data minimization principles
• Provide data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure)
• Maintain records of processing activities
• Implement data protection by design
• Conduct privacy impact assessments

Data Anonymization

function sanitizeErrorData(error) {
    return {
        message: error.message,
        stack: error.stack,
        timestamp: error.timestamp,
        // Remove PII
        userAgent: anonymizeUserAgent(error.userAgent),
        url: removeQueryParams(error.url),
        // Don't include user IDs, emails, or other PII
    };
}

Remove or anonymize personally identifiable information from error reports:

Consent Management

Implement proper consent mechanisms for error tracking:

Consent Best Practices

• Provide clear information about data collection
• Allow users to opt-out of error tracking
• Implement granular consent options
• Maintain consent records
• Provide easy consent withdrawal mechanisms

Data Retention Policies

Establish clear data retention policies and implement automatic data deletion.