When you visit a website you expect that any information you provide, whether it be your email address, your physical address, or credit card details, to be safely guarded by that website. When visiting a website you also provide information automatically, such as an IP address. A privacy policy is used to provide visitors a confirmation that all of their information, whether they provide it themselves or it is automatically collected when they visit a website, is indeed safe. On most websites you visit, if you scroll, generally, to the very bottom of the page, you will find a link to something titled “Privacy” or “Privacy Policy.” The contents of this page provide details on what type of information is collected, what the purpose of collecting the information is, and how the website safeguards the information you provide.
Many people have their own websites but do not give much thought about providing a privacy policy on their website. One common reason for that is that they do not know whether they need one. Every website, whether it is for a business, organization, or just a blog, should have a privacy policy. First and foremost, the privacy policy is a legal disclosure about protecting consumers. Another major part of a privacy policy is that it provides transparency to visitors. The privacy policy explains in detail to visitors of the website what is done to make sure that their information is safeguarded. This builds a trust between the website and the visitors and if people feel that their information is safe on a website, they are more likely to visit it.
The next question that arises after realizing that a privacy policy in necessary, is what kind of information should be included in the privacy policy statement. The basics that all privacy policies should include are:
- An introduction about the business, organization, or blog and what function the website is providing
- The type of information the website collects, including information that is logged by servers, such as IP addresses and hostnames
- How information is collected, automatically or manually provided by visitors to the website
- How the information that is collected is stored, specifically whether the information is stored on servers, in a cloud, or in another country
- Information on instances when information will be shared
- The use of cookies on the website
- Contact details for how visitors to the website can reach out to ask for more information regarding the privacy policy
This list may look intimidating, but knowing what kind of information your website collects and how it protects the information is an important part of running a website, whether it be for your business or just a blog posting about your newest cookie recipe. Rincker Law, PLLC is prepared to help you write an effective privacy policy that protects you and provides your visitors with verification that their details are protected.