Handling User Data Export and Erasure Requests

Since WordPress 3.9.6 site owners can export a ZIP file containing a user’s personal data and / or erase a user’s personal information from their website.

Exports and Erasure’s are handled by utilities located on your WordPress admin panel under the Tools menu.

The process of a Data Export and Erasure are nearly identical:

1. A user request’s an export or erasure via email
2. A site administrator enters the user’s email address in the “Send Request” field.
3. An email is sent to the user requesting confirmation
4. Once confirmed, a site administrator processes the request

At the conclusion of a data export an email will be sent to the user with an attached ZIP file containing their personal information from the site.

At the conclusion of a data erasure request an email will be sent to the user confirming their request has been processed.

During a data export the following data is exported:

LifterLMS

• All personal information gathered from registration, checkout, and enrollment forms
• Course and membership enrollments, progress, and grades
• Earned achievements and certificates
• All order data

LifterLMS Social Learning

• All personal profile information
• All stories created by or for the user
• All story replies created by the user

LifterLMS Assignments

• All user assignment grades

LifterLMS Private Areas

• All private posts created for the user
• All user private post replies

During a data erasure the following data is erased:

LifterLMS

• All personal information gathered from registration, checkout, and enrollment forms
• Earned achievements and certificates
• All notifications for or about the user
• If the “Remove Order Data” setting is enabled, the order will be anonymized by removing student personal information from the order and, if the order is a recurring order, it will be cancelled.
• If the “Remove Student LMS Data” setting is enabled, all student data related to course and membership activity will be removed

LifterLMS Social Learning

• All personal profile information
• All stories created by or for the user
• All story replies created by the user

LifterLMS Assignments

• If the “Remove Student LMS Data” setting is enabled, all user assignments

LifterLMS Private Areas

• If the “Remove Student LMS Data” setting is enabled, all private posts created for the user
• If the “Remove Student LMS Data” setting is enabled, all user private post replies

Data erasures are permanent and cannot be reversed! This information is not moved to the trash where it can be later recovered, it is completely removed from your site’s database!

For legal or tax reasons you may not wish to remove a user’s personal information from orders created by LiferLMS.

However, if you do wish to remove user personal information from an order, you can enable the “Remove Order Data” setting located under LifterLMS -> Settings -> Accounts

When this setting is enabled, personal information will be removed from the user’s orders. The orders will remain on your site but will be attributed to “Anonymous.”

If the order is an active recurring order it will be switched to “Cancelled” during the erasure.

By default user enrollment information, course activity, progress, quizzes, and other LMS activity on the site is not removed during an erasure request.

If you do wish to remove user personal information from an order, you can enable the “Remove Student LMS Data” setting located under LifterLMS -> Settings -> Accounts.

When enabled a student will be removed from all courses and memberships and all of their quizzes and course progress will be erased.