This article describes the rollout of updates to the OpenSRS end-user consent management process, originally announced in 2020. The updates reduced the number of consent request emails registrants receive and refreshed the design of the registrant-facing consent page (now called Your Data Sharing Preferences). The rollout happened in two phases and required resellers to refresh consent-related email templates and support content.
Warning: This article documents a historical rollout. Template names, dates, and design references reflect the 2020 rollout. Confirm current template behavior with the OpenSRS Support team.
Background
The original end-user consent management process implemented for GDPR proved more cumbersome for registrants and resellers than intended. To simplify the process while remaining GDPR compliant, OpenSRS rolled out a set of changes in two phases. The improvements reduced consent request email volume and refreshed registrant-facing content and design.
Phase one: Reduce consent request volume
Phase one began on August 25, 2020. From that date, when purchasing a synchronous domain, a registrant received only one consent request email and did not receive additional consent requests for subsequent synchronous domains they bought.
Registrants continued to receive a consent request each time they purchased an asynchronous domain, because asynchronous registries may not adhere to modern data processing standards. OpenSRS obtains the registrant's explicit consent before sharing data with an asynchronous registry.
The registrant-facing page was renamed from Data Use Consent Preferences to Your Data Sharing Preferences. Its content was made more straightforward, with embedded links to resources that address common registrant concerns.
Note: The visual design changes did not go live until phase two.
The new synchronous template — GDPR initial consent request - Synchronous — became available in the Reseller Control Panel and supports a higher level of customization.
Phase two: New data sharing preferences design
In Q4 2020, OpenSRS implemented the new design for the data sharing preferences page. The redesigned page features a simplified layout with tabs that help the registrant navigate between Tucows' data-sharing practices page and Tucows' TLD details page.
Note: On August 25, 2020, the updated templates fully replaced their predecessors, and the old templates were removed.
Template name changes
Old template name | New template name |
|---|---|
GDPR Consent Reminder | GDPR Consent Reminder for ASYNC |
GDPR Initial Consent Request - Synchronous - deprecated | GDPR Initial Consent Request - Synchronous |
GDPR Initial Consent Request - Asynchronous - deprecated | GDPR Initial Consent Request - Asynchronous |
GDPR Updated Product Consent Request - deprecated | GDPR Updated Product Consent Request |
GDPR Consent Page Link - deprecated | GDPR Consent Page Link Reminder |
What resellers needed to do
These changes were designed to reduce the load on reseller support teams, but a few actions were required.
Customize the new consent-related email templates by August 25, 2020. Each new template supported deeper customization than the version it replaced.
Update support resources. The new visuals and content did not change the underlying consent flow, but help articles needed to be refreshed to reflect the new page names, designs, and embedded content.
Useful links
New consent-related email templates
Current data use consent settings page
New data sharing preferences page
New data-sharing practices page
New TLD details page
Next steps
Confirm your templates are using the current names. Verify in the Reseller Control Panel that your consent-related email templates match the post-2020 names.
Refresh registrant-facing help articles. Make sure any documentation you publish for registrants references Your Data Sharing Preferences (not Data Use Consent Preferences) and shows the current design.
Coordinate with support staff. Brief your support team so they recognize and explain the new template names when registrants ask about the emails they receive.
Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.
How helpful was this article?
Thanks for your feedback!
Do you still need help? If so please submit a request here.