WordPress / WordPress/plugin-check

Privacy: Add check for wp_privacy_personal_data_erasers filter (GDPR personal data erasure)

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Dominant language
PHP
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362
Forks
126
Avg merge
1d 23h
Merged PRs (30d)
22

Description

Summary

Plugin Check should detect when a plugin collects personal data but does not register an eraser callback via the wp_privacy_personal_data_erasers filter.

Background

Since WordPress 4.9.6, WordPress ships a Personal Data Removal tool to help sites comply with privacy regulations such as the GDPR. Plugins that store personal data (e.g. in comment meta, post meta, or custom post types) are expected to hook into this tool by registering an eraser callback via:

add_filter( 'wp_privacy_personal_data_erasers', 'my_plugin_register_erasers' );

The eraser callback receives a user's email address and a pagination page number, removes the associated personal data, and returns a status array indicating whether items were removed, retained, and whether processing is complete.

Reference: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/privacy/adding-the-personal-data-eraser-to-your-plugin/

Proposed Check

Add a detection rule that warns plugin authors when their plugin appears to handle personal data (e.g. uses add_comment_meta, update_user_meta, custom DB writes, etc.) but does not register a handler for the wp_privacy_personal_data_erasers filter.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the proposed wp_privacy_personal_data_erasers filter and the linked WordPress guide on adding a personal data eraser. Review how Plugin Check detects plugin behavior, then define how uses such as add_comment_meta, update_user_meta, and custom database writes should be recognized. Done means a rule warns when apparent personal-data handling lacks a registered eraser handler.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
php
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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