The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a data privacy regulation that applies to websites serving users from the European Union (EU). Although non-compliance can lead to hefty fines, navigating GDPR requirements can be a challenging task, as many details are easy to overlook.
It’s useful to leverage GDPR compliance checkers that scan and identify non-compliant areas. Continue reading to find a list of free tools you can use to detect and fix potential GDPR compliance issues.
1. GDPR and ICO checklists
GDPR and ICO websites provide official checklists for compliance. The ICO is focused on UK data subjects, while GDPR on EU citizens. However, both EU and UK versions of GDPR are quite similar. Here are the main checklists you can use:
- GDPR.EU checklist for data controllers
- ICO processor checklist
- ICO controller checklist
These checklists cover lawful bases, data security, governance and accountability, transparency, and privacy rights. For a comprehensive breakdown of the main GDPR requirements, you can also check out our GDPR compliance checklist.
2. 2GDPR
2GDPR is a GDPR compliance checker that scans your pages to see if there are any common issues. All you need to do is insert the link to your website and it will request and process up to 20 pages to give you a comprehensive report.
Here’s what the 2GDPR tool checks:
- If personal data collection forms are safe
- If prior consent is requested for all non-essential cookie types
- If consent is required for personal data
- If personal data isn’t transferred to forbidden countries
- If there are any risks of personal data breaches
If your website has at least 20 pages, the scan may take a few minutes to load. However, once it’s complete, you can click on any of the identified issues to get a full report on what you should fix to comply with the GDPR and how.
3. Sovy
Sovy is another simple GDPR compliance tester that checks the security, lawful basis, transparency, and rights of your website.
When you insert your website link, the tool will provide you with a link to use to get to your results. You’ll have to wait a few minutes before they appear. Here’s an example of how the results look like:
You can scroll down below to find the score breakdown, which will show you what exactly your website is missing and what it has. For example, whether your site has an SSL, whether your privacy policy states the contact person or personal data collection practices, and more.
4. Iubenda
Iubenda is a questionnaire-based GDPR compliance checker. It means that the tool will present you with a few basic questions about your business, such as its type, location, language, and more.
To get the results, you’ll need to sign up for the website. As soon as you do, you’ll get a comprehensive report with a compliance score.
Iubenda provides you with information and issues with your cookie banner, cookie policy, privacy policy, consent records, and more.
5. Insites
Insites is an easy-to-use GDPR scanner for checking website compliance. When you enter your website URL, it gives you a report on whether your website has features like an SSL, cookie policy, cookie banner, or privacy policy.
The tool also gives you a compliance score and lets you download a PDF of the report. You can check the full list of cookies used on your website and identify which ones are set without user consent.
How do I check my website's GDPR compliance?
To check your website’s GDPR compliance, you can use any online GDPR compliance checker. Here’s how to use it:
- Open the GDPR compliance checker, insert your store’s link, and click “Scan” or a similarly named button.
- You’ll have to wait a minute or a few for the scan to complete.
- Once it’s complete, you’ll get a report on compliance issues. Some tools, like 2GDPR, give you detailed explanations on how to fix each issue.
- Fix each identified issue one by one.
- Run the scan again to see if the score improved.
How TinyCookie can help with GDPR compliance?
TinyCookie is an intuitive cookie consent management platform for websites that want to easily comply with the GDPR. Here are its main features that help meet key requirements for GDPR compliance:
- A customizable one-click cookie consent banner
- Allow/reject buttons and cookie preference management
- Consent tracking in one place
- Ability to translate the cookie banner to multiple languages
- Cookie scanner and management
- Global Privacy Control compliance
TinyCookie helps you add a cookie banner completely free. If you want to access consent tracking, cookie scanner, and other premium features, the plans start from just $7/month with a free 7-day trial.
Frequently asked questions
GDPR compliance testing involves following a GDPR checklist or using a GDPR compliance checker tool to evaluate if your site adheres to the regulation’s requirements. The GDPR governs how the personal data of EU citizens must be handled by companies, and testing compliance involves finding any improvement areas or potential issues.
There’s no official GDPR compliance certificate. However, you can get GDPR compliance certification through trusted accreditation bodies. For example, the ISO 27001, EuroPrise, or TRUSTe. While they’re not official certifications, they demonstrate transparency and accountability to users.
If your organization doesn’t comply with the GDPR, you may face a warning or large GDPR fines.
- Less serious violations, like not keeping records in regards to processed data, can lead to a fine of up to €10 million or 2% of the firm’s global annual revenue from the previous year (whichever is higher).
- For more serious violations, like a data breach, the fine can rise to up to €20 million or 4% of the firm’s global annual revenue from the previous year (depending on which is higher).