GDPR Breach - Remove Billing Address for Free Items

[MrAlexT]

When offering free downloadable items, there is no valid reason to collect a billing or shipping address so surely there should be an option to disable this completely.

These details are irrelevant since no payment is processed, and no physical goods are being shipped.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), collecting unnecessary personal data may constitute a breach. Specifically:

1. Data Minimization (Article 5(1)(c)): GDPR requires that personal data collected be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purpose. Billing addresses serve no purpose in the context of free digital items, making their collection non-compliant.

2. Lawfulness of Processing (Article 6): There must be a lawful basis for processing personal data. Without a valid reason to request billing addresses, collecting them for free downloads could violate GDPR requirements.

3. Purpose Limitation (Article 5(1)(b)): Personal data must be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes. Unless there is a specific legal or technical need to request billing addresses, their collection fails to meet this requirement.

This practice is not only a massive turn off and inconvenience for customers but could also expose shop owners to GDPR-related complaints or penalties.

There doesn't appear to be a method to disable this?! There are many other posts asking for the same thing but no answer.

There really needs to be an option for this to be disabled.