In WordPress 4.9.6, new tools were added to make compliance easier with laws like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR for short.
WordPress Plugin Handbook – Privacy
WordPress provides the workflow to process and facilitate requests for exporting and deleting (erasing) personally identifiable information. This feature is implemented using a “step processor” to avoid potential timeout errors when handling large sets of data.
The Personal Data Exporter provides a downloadable copy of a user’s personally identifiable data based on a provided email address. WordPress also provides the workflow for requesting, generating, and delivering the download, which leaves the plugin developer with the specifics for their collected data.
The Personal Data Eraser facilitates the erasing/anonymizing of a user’s personally identifiable data based on a provided email address. This tool does not delete the user’s account, which is an optional step for the site administrator.
Read more about the Personal Data Exporter and Personal Data Eraser in the Plugin Handbook.