Everyone knows that you have to have a privacy policy on your website if you collect personal information from visitors, but it may not occur to you that creating one is not optional. Many websites and apps produce an awkward page with a boilerplate Privacy Policy statement when you sign up for their services.
But that’s because it’s an awkward piece of copy that was probably pasted in by someone who did not read the rest of the site. If you have a privacy policy on your website, it’s almost certainly because some authority — like the FTC or state attorney general’s office — has informed you that they require such a policy before they will cease their investigation and leave you alone. Creating a Privacy Policy is easy if you follow these 5 tips:
Be clear and transparent about what you do with visitor information
The first thing visitors will want to know is what information you collect and what you do with it. Be specific. Collecting a visitor’s email address to send them a free ebook, for example, is not the same as collecting their name, email address, and credit card information to process payment for a $50 course. Make it clear that you do not sell their information or give it to third parties. Get the Privacy Policy Generator Online to make the proper drafting of business privacy.
If you do share visitor information with third parties, make it clear that you send only non-identifying information like the number of visitors to specific pages on your site. You’ll also want to specify the length of time you keep information in your records. Two years is standard for most businesses (with some exceptions). Beyond that, the law does not require you keep it, so don’t.
Use plain language
You may have a fancy lawyer who uses fancy legalese terms in your Privacy Policy. But if you want ordinary people to understand what you’re saying, use plain language. Do not write your Privacy Policy as if it were a will or a treaty between nations.
That’s because most people do not have a lawyer on retainer and do not know the difference between a “hereby” and a “heretofore”. Your Privacy Policy is a signpost to the public that tells them what you do with the information they provide you.
Include a fair use policy (and be sure to follow it)
You may use some of the information you collect to create statistics and analytics used internally only. Those are called “queries” and “log entries” in the data analytics world.
You may also use visitor information to send occasional emails about new products or services. You might also use visitor information to follow up on orders or subscription requests. These things should be included in your Privacy Policy. Just make sure that you follow what you promise in the Privacy Policy.
Be clear about the information you collect and why
What information do you collect from visitors? What do you do with it? How long do you keep it? What are you allowed to do with it? What are you not allowed to do with it? It’s important to answer these questions in your Privacy Policy.
Don’t forget to include your contact information:-
Include your name, position, mailing address, and email address in the Privacy Policy so that people who have questions or concerns can contact you. Finally, don’t put off writing your privacy & terms.
You may think that you have plenty of time, but you never know when you’ll be the subject of an FTC investigation (or some other authority who requires a Privacy Policy before they leave you alone).
Even if you have nothing to hide, you don’t want to take the chance of having someone read something into your Privacy Policy that you never intended. It’s better to be safe, write a Privacy Policy, and be done with it.
Conclusion:-
A Privacy Policy is a signpost to the public that tells them what you do with the information they provide you. Don’t put off writing it because you think you have plenty of time. Even if you have nothing to hide, it’s better to be safe and write a Privacy Policy.
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