Talking Back to CodeClay

I’ve been thinking about adding a comment section to CodeClay. Not a loud one, not the kind that asks you to log in with Facebook or Google, but something small, human, and respectful.

I want people to be able to respond directly under an article - share thoughts, add context, or point out something I missed - without me turning into a data controller or privacy liability in the process.

The Problem

If I store anything about a visitor - an email, an IP address, even a cookie that could be tied to them - I step straight into GDPR land. That means I need to track, delete, and prove compliance for any personal data collected. That’s not what I want to do. I want to write, share, and talk with people - not manage compliance logs.

What I’m Exploring

There are a few systems that might work for what I have in mind:

Giscus

Giscus uses GitHub Discussions as its backend. Comments live entirely on GitHub, and I don’t see or store anything myself. People can read comments freely, and if they want to reply, they log in with their GitHub account. No cookies, no tracking, no GDPR nightmares.

Cactus Comments

This one is federated, meaning it talks to the wider Mastodon / ActivityPub world. It can let people comment anonymously or using their existing Fediverse account. It’s also privacy-friendly and open source. The downside is that it’s still a bit niche and minimal in features - which is also part of its charm.

Isso

Isso is the classic “self-hosted Disqus alternative.” You can host it yourself, it stores comments locally in SQLite or PostgreSQL, and visitors can comment without any account at all. But because I’d be the one holding those comments (and possibly emails or IPs), it puts me right back in GDPR territory. So it’s probably off the table.

The Balance I’m After

I want discussion, not spy on people to extract their sweet telemetry.
Telemetry + ? = Profit
A space where someone can leave a comment, not an account. Something that respects readers and doesn’t break if you block cookies.

That probably means Giscus, at least for now. It fits the developer vibe of CodeClay and keeps all personal data far away from me. Maybe later I’ll experiment with Cactus Comments as a more open, federated option.

I even thought about putting up a poll to let readers vote on which system they’d prefer - but then I realized that to prevent endless voting, I’d need to store some kind of identifier or cookie. And the moment I do that, I’ve walked straight back into GDPR cookie land. So for now, the “poll” is just me thinking out loud.

What’s Next

When I get around to it, you’ll likely see a “Discuss this article” section appear under new posts. It’ll load only when you click it, and it won’t ask for anything more than a GitHub login if you decide to reply.

No analytics, no tracking pixels, no “subscribe to our newsletter.” Just a comment box and some ideas bouncing around.

That feels like the right way to do it - Right?

• Yes I realize that you can’t comment just yet, thanks

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