Why Have a Privacy Policy?

Every single day the jump in the number of business transactions completed on the internet goes up, up, up. And security breaches are no longer foreign to the American public. Since the Equifax breach, millions are already in danger of fraudulent actions against their names. This means that the U.S. government has had to take a hard look at the safety and security of its citizens and the data that websites gather from customers. Since most websites ask for at least name and email, and often much more, the addition of the privacy policy has been added to help secure the public’s data.

What is the Privacy Policy?

As citizens, you have the right to know what your personal information may be used for. If you do not agree with the policy, you can choose to not give out your P.I.. The privacy policy is a document stating what information they are gathering and what the company plans to do with it. It is a document that is mandatory for all websites by law to have easily accessible in the navigation. The regulations also cover children with the COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). If a business sells to children under 13, they must give notice to parents and get consent, and ensure that all P.I. collected can be kept secure.

This is a document that is not meant to be complicated, nor hidden:

• Your policy needs to be easy to read and understand; Simple, plain language. This means no lawyer talk.
• The policy content must be easily accessible from the home page of the website. It can be in the quick links in the footer if you don’t want it in the main navigation.

How do I Create My Privacy Policy

It is important that you do not just copy another site’s policy and paste it into your site. Here are some ways to create your own policy.

Call Your Lawyer: Use a lawyer that understands data use laws. If you have a personal lawyer, he or she can probably direct you to an expert.

Online Generators: If you find an online privacy policy generator, make sure that it has options for customizing the document, as many will just spew out the same information for all policies. Also, you want legal experts that back it up.

Templates: there are some free online templates that can help you get started. This is the least advisable suggestion. If you do use a template, make sure you research the laws pertaining to your type of business.

With personal and business transactions moving more and more digital, it is important to protect your company and customers from fraud, unsolicited calls and mail. When creating content for a website, make sure a Privacy Policy is not last on the list. 360 WEB DESIGNS is a great resource to help you find a local lawyer to finalize the document.

Below are more resources to help you along:

3dCart.com – Article About Privacy Policies

NCSL.org – State Laws Related to Internet Privacy