AesirX Podcast on WordPress & Compliance

All right, so today we're diving into this whole first-party data thing, right? Somebody sent us this white paper. AcerX, yeah. AcerX, they call it. AcerX First Party Foundation, something like that. The alternative to non-compliance for WordPress website owners, catchy. Really rolls off the tongue. But it's about this big shift happening online. It is. And what I find interesting is they're using their solutions as a jumping off point to talk about something much bigger. We're seeing the decline, the demise, really, of third-party cookies. Yeah. And browsing the web used to be so much simpler, right? It's like, remember when you could just look at a picture of a puppy without sending your life away? Yeah. Now every website wants a waiver. It's true. And those cookie pop-ups, those are just the tip of the iceberg, you know? Oh, it's just the beginning. Oh, yeah. Major browsers are already phasing these third-party cookies out. Okay. Safari and Firefox have already done it. And Chrome is set to join them by the end of next year, 2024. So this is a big deal for anyone with a website, right? Especially if you're on WordPress, which, let's face it, a lot of us are. Huge, huge implications. And that's where this AzerX white paper comes in, right? Yeah. It's like, hey, the way you've been collecting data, yeah, let's go it away. It's over. But don't worry. We've got you. Got your data. That's one way to put it. But they really emphasize that this isn't just about annoying pop-ups anymore. This is serious stuff. We're talking legal ramifications. Oh, so now we're getting serious. They even cite GDPR fines for noncompliance. Oh, boy. Which, by the way, can be up to 20 million euros or 4% of your global annual turnover, whichever is higher. So ignoring this isn't just bad for, like, user experience. It's bad for business. Essentially catastrophic. So what is it about GDPR that's pushing this whole first-party data thing? Well, a big part of it is consent. GDPR is all about making sure websites get clear, informed consent before they collect any user data. Third-party cookies, they often bypass that whole consent thing. Big no-no under GDPR. First-party data, though, that's different. When you collect data directly from your users with their knowledge and permission, you're good. Okay. So it's less about, like, sneaky data grabs, more about building a relationship with your users, being transparent. Exactly. And that's something this white paper really drives home. Which brings us to AcerX and how they're positioning themselves in all of this. They're offering this whole suite of tools, particularly for WordPress users, to navigate this new landscape. They want to be your guides. Right. Like their AcerX Analytics and Consent Management Platform. Right. Which they say is cookie-free. What does that even mean? So basically, AcerX Analytics, it moves away from those icky third-party cookies and focuses on collecting first-party data directly from your users on your website, on your WordPress website. Okay. And it's all about consent. Getting that explicit permission to use that data. Got it. So more transparency, more control, both for the website owner and for the user. Exactly. Okay. So it's a different kind of relationship with your data. Yeah. They also have this AcerX Business Intelligence product. Yes. That's just like more charts and graphs. Well, they do have really cool charts and graphs. It offers real-time dashboards, but it's more than just looking at numbers. It's about actionable insights, really understanding what that data means for your business, and using it to make smarter decisions. So it's like having a data analyst on call 24-7, whispering secrets in your website's ear. You could say that. They're really trying to help you understand your audience in a deeper way while still respecting these new regulations. Which is important because those regulations are getting stricter. They also mention this shield of privacy, which sounds pretty intense. It does, doesn't it? Yeah. So the AcerX Shield of Privacy, it really gets at the heart of online identity. Okay. So instead of relying on third-party identity services, which always carry some risk, they're using decentralized technology, specifically blockchain. Oh, blockchain. Okay. Yeah. To give users more control over their data. So instead of like my data floating out there in the ether, it's like each user gets their own little data bunker protected by the power of blockchain. That's a great way to visualize it. And because it's decentralized, there's no single point of failure, so it's much more resilient to breaches. Plus, this all ties in nicely with their AcerX single sign-on system. SSO. So that's where I wouldn't need a separate login for every website. Just one and I'm good to go. Exactly. But their SSO goes beyond just convenience. They've incorporated age and country verification using something called indirect zero knowledge proof, which is really interesting from a compliance standpoint. Okay. Indirect zero knowledge proof sounds like something out of a spy thriller. Break that down for me. I know, right? It sounds really complicated. It's actually pretty cool. Imagine proving you're old enough to visit a website without actually giving away your birth date. Okay. That's essentially what this technology allows. You can prove you meet certain criteria without revealing unnecessary personal information. So it's like a digital bouncer that knows if I'm old enough to enter the club without actually needing to see my ID. Exactly. That's pretty impressive. This is getting a little technical though. We're talking about blockchain, zero knowledge proofs, are we talking about major website overhauls here? What if they're first party server, either X first party server? What is that? Sounds intense. It's not as scary as it sounds. Think of it like this. It's your own secure digital vault where you keep all that valuable first party data you're collecting. Instead of relying on big third party cloud providers, you've got this dedicated server, which either X argues gives you way more control and security. So it's like I'm keeping my data under my own roof instead of in some shared apartment building in the cloud. Yes. Okay. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. 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