Do you read the privacy policies on websites? Most people don’t, research has shown that 87% of people accept privacy policies without reading them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important.
In this blog post, we’ll be sharing why you need to have a privacy policy on your website.
What is a Privacy Policy?
A privacy policy is a legal document that shows some or all of the ways a party collates, uses, shares, and manages a user or client’s data.
Simply, it’s a policy that allows your site visitors and customers to know what kind of data you’re collecting, what you’re doing with the data collected and how long their database will last in your possession.
What Should A Privacy Policy Contain?
Privacy policies should be well-detailed, short and understandable to users. Once it’s clear in simple terms to everyone reading it, there would be fewer misinterpretations and your site can defend the policy if the need arises.
A basic privacy policy should cover:
- A list and description of the information collected
- Where you found the information
- Why the information was collected
- How the information was collected and is stored
- Who has access to the information and if it will be shared or sold
- The rights users have over the data collected
- How users can exercise the rights
- Your site’s contact information
- Link to terms of service and cookie policy if need be
This isn’t a total list of everything that can be added, privacy policies need to be constantly reviewed and updated to match rules and regulations when required.
Why A Privacy Policy Is Important
The main purpose of a privacy policy is to show users and customers that you take privacy seriously and that their information and personal data are safe with your business.
Several laws make it compulsory for sites and businesses to have a privacy policy. An example is Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), even Google Analytics has a requirement that every user must have a privacy policy agreement.
A privacy policy is important to protect the privacy of users and to build trust between your site and users. There are also huge fines attached to breaking privacy policy rules, this shows how important it is for every website and business to have it.
Laws that Guide Privacy Policies
In addition to the regulations earlier stated, here are some other laws that kick against not having a privacy policy
- California Online Privacy Protection Act
- Data Protection Act
- Gramm Leach-Bliley Act
- Australian Privacy Act
- Privacy Shield
- Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule
These are just a few of the guidelines and regulations that can penalise for now having privacy policies.
Tools to Aid Online Privacy Policy
It can prove very difficult trying to create a privacy policy by yourself without missing out on any important information or guidelines, this is where privacy policy generation tools come in.
You can use a privacy policy generator to set up your policies and ensure that they are up to standard.
Here are a few examples of tools that you can use.
Image Source: TermsFeed
This is a tool that works great with web and mobile apps, websites, SAAS, eCommerce and more. It helps to generate trusted legal documents and you can use it to create terms and conditions, cookie policies, disclaimers, refund policies and so on.
Creating a privacy policy for individuals is free but adding GDPR or CalOPPA compliance comes with a price. This tool is easy to use and follows general rules.
Image Source: PrivacyPolicies.com
PrivacyPolicies.com is another generation tool that can help you create all kinds of policies for your website or app. You can have a privacy policy, cookies, disclaimer, terms and conditions etc.
You don’t have to worry about the difference in privacy laws based on location. This product will automatically customize your privacy policy to suit your location and ensure you’re up-to-date with the guidelines.
It also offers 5+ translation languages, DOCX and PDF formats of the policy, payment processors and ads clauses and it’s fully compliant with GDPR.
Image Source: Shopify
Shopify’s privacy policy generator tool is designed to make privacy policies, especially for eCommerce stores. You can use it to generate a basic policy once you specify the information to be collected.
This free tool is easy to use and it’s easy to navigate. You’ll need to enter a few details and you’ll get a dedicated privacy policy ready for you to use.
It doesn’t have additional charges which means you’ll be getting quality documents for free and it’s in line with the rules of GDPR.
Frequently Asked Questions about Privacy Policies
There are a lot of questions concerning privacy policies by business owners and websites. Here are a few of those questions answered.
- Can I write my own privacy policy?
The answer to this is yes, you can write a privacy policy for yourself. You can do this with the help of a privacy policy template or tool and it can help you ensure the policy you’re writing is standard and offers the best to users
- Does every website need a privacy policy?
The answer to this is no, not all websites are required to have a privacy policy. The policy is mainly to guide the collection, storing and usuals of data. Only websites that collect personal information are subjected to privacy policies.
Examples of such information include; names, physical address details, email addresses, social security numbers, card details and so on
- Is a privacy policy legally required?
Yes, a privacy policy is legally required in most countries, although the US doesn’t have a federal law that requires businesses to have a privacy policy, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) is acceptable as one of the privacy laws protecting consumers
- How much notice do I need to give for a change in the privacy policy?
If you intend to change your site or business’s privacy policy, you should give the notice based on the kind of change you’re making.
You should share notices of any change a couple of weeks before the change is effected. It will give the users enough time to adjust any preferences as they need may.
Although not always required, it’s a great practice to actively involve users in any change even if it looks very insignificant. Some little changes can be announced very close to the date or even after the update
Conclusion
Although sometimes overlooked by some business owners and websites, privacy policies are effective and required to ensure that users’ data are used properly for the right reasons.
You should consider setting up a privacy policy for your business if you already don’t have one or updating the one that you have to stay up-to-date.
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