Data, Privacy, and Compliance – How We Prepared for GDPR

Rollbar's journey to GDPR compliance highlights the transformative impact of the regulation on data management, shifting the perspective of data from being purely an asset to also being a liability. The initiative required Rollbar to adapt its agile development practices to meet the hard deadline of May 25, 2018, and navigate the complexities and ambiguities of the law, often necessitating legal consultation to determine its specific implications. Addressing GDPR challenges involved creating new features and updating existing ones to ensure customer data privacy, such as implementing asynchronous processes for data deletion and altering default settings to reduce GDPR exposure. Throughout the project, the Rollbar team leveraged strategies like incremental problem-solving, fostering win-win scenarios, and trusting their expanded team to manage the increased complexity and stakeholder involvement. Ultimately, Rollbar's efforts not only achieved compliance but also enhanced their product, offering improved features and reducing technical debt.