Have you ever visited a website or webpage and clicked on the ‘I Agree’ tab without even making the effort to read or at least do a quick scan of the privacy policy?
Start thinking!
Because many have already made this mistake, and some of them are doing it right at this moment.
Today, the privacy policy is believed to be the most omitted term on a website, thinking it is unimportant. But let us tell you this is the most crucial part of a website. And if you are a website owner who doesn’t have a privacy policy on the website, create and upload it on your website now!
Interested in knowing more about this underrated term? This article includes everything you need to know about this policy and why do all websites need a privacy policy.
What is A Website Privacy Policy?
The term website privacy policy refers to a detailed statement or document explaining how a website owner manages the collected data of a user who visits their site and agrees to share their personal information with the company. This includes the safekeeping of the records under data protection and conducting regular assessments to protect the data of the subjects.
For instance – when a user interacts with your online site, you can access their personal data such as name, email address, session activity, payment details, cookies, and more. Keeping the collected information secure falls under the responsibility of the company.
Also Read: Is Investing In Domain Name Privacy Protection Necessary?
Are Websites Required to Have A Privacy Policy?
There are numerous questions by website owners regarding the need for a privacy policy on their websites. If we had to answer it in a word, it would be, Yes! According to the IT Act 2000, if you deal with or handle any sensitive or personal information, you must take necessary security measures to protect such information.
If you fail to do so, you will be held accountable and liable to compensate the concerned person. Besides being mandated by the law, privacy policies are required to build the trust of your web users and target audience for your business/services/products.
Ask how?
When you upload a privacy policy link, the users on your site will learn why you collect the data and where & how you will use it. All these details will assure them that their shared information is in safe hands.
Moreover, a privacy policy can even save you from a lawsuit. Supposedly, one of your users suddenly starts receiving spam calls. Upon searching, they find out it’s because your company has shared personal details with third-party sites. This can land you in a lot of trouble.
When the user’s threatens your company for reporting the matter and filing a lawsuit against the company, you can inform the individual that the privacy policy clearly states that you will be sharing the information with third-party entities, and you clicked on the ‘Agree’ tab to do so. You can only evade this situation if the above-mentioned clause is in your privacy policy.
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Do All Websites Need To Have A Privacy Policy In India?
Despite the country, state, or territory, it’s obligatory to have a privacy policy if your website is on the internet and you collect the data of visitors.
The privacy laws of India clearly state to manage and maintain the gathered confidential information carefully. In case of disclosing or selling a user’s personal information without their consent will be considered a data breach, and the individual liable for this wrongful cause will have to indemnify the user. In worst cases, they are likely imprisoned for 3 or few.
Also Read: Best Practices To Secure Your Website
What Happens When You Don’t Gather Personal Information On Your Website?
Believe it or not, you are already collecting a user’s personal information without even realizing it. Now you might wonder, if you don’t have a privacy policy, how are you compiling the data? Let us solve that mystery for you.
The data collection might be executed through any or all of below –
- Email, contact forms, or social media
- Purchased or maintained an email list
- Cookies for advertising or analytics
The most common data collection methods are emails, contact forms, and social media. Apart from these, cookies and analytics are also significant ways to accumulate information. When a user accepts the cookie policy, you get their information, which can help personalize advertisements.
The usage of analytics can also be considered a practice for collecting personal information. Google Analytics allows you to track the source & medium, the user’s location, the device, and similar other information.
Either way, you can collect a user’s information even though you don’t have a privacy policy page. Hence, linking a privacy policy is advised to ensure you don’t get sued under any privacy laws.
Also Read: What To Do When Your Website Is Hacked?
What Information Should Be Included In A Privacy Policy?
Below we have mapped out the 7 most essential points that should be included in a privacy policy –
After adding the details of your company and other representatives, you should draft all the information below.
1. Type of information collected from a visitor visiting the website.
For instance –
- ★ Name
- ★ Addresses
- ★ Contact numbers
- ★ Email addresses
- ★ IP Address
- ★ Location
- ★ Session activity
- ★ Date & time of accessing the website
2. By what means is the information getting collected?
Is it through –
- ➔ Cookies
- ➔ Analytics
- ➔ Survey forms
- ➔ Contact forms
- ➔ Web forms
- ➔ Email subscriptions
- ➔ Signing up for an event or course
- ➔ Signing up for a newsletter
- ➔ Placing an order
- ➔ Creating an account on the site
- ➔ Payment details
3. Reasons explaining why the information is being collected? Where will it be used? Is it safe and appropriate?
4. Who will have access to this collected information?
For example –
- ➢ The representatives or executives of the company
- ➢ Vendors outside of the company
- ➢ How long will the information be held with the company?
- ➢ Can the user prohibit or stop sharing the information with the company?
5. Through which medium will a user be informed if there is a change in the policy?
The information will be sent via –
- ➔ Stating the date of the policy update on the website
Whom to contact if there is a question regarding the privacy policy?
- ➢ Is it a service provider(s) managing such queries or a legal entity
How will the company safeguard the information?
- ★ SSL security
- ★ Does the company have a firewall?
- ★ In case of data loss, how does the company recover or ensure it does not go into the wrong hands?
- ★ Does the company have advanced protection against potential threats?
Apart from adhering to this information, ensure that your privacy policy is straightforward and easy to understand and that every member/staff of the company complies with the policies.
Now that you have an answer to your question, do every website need a privacy policy, and why do you need it? Let’s head to the blog’s last but not least section – creating a privacy policy page.
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How To Create A Privacy Policy Page?
There are 3 main methods of creating a privacy policy page:
- Free Template
- Online Generator
- Engaging With a Lawyer
1. Free Template
A Do-It-Yourself method where you draft the policy based on your information. All you have to do is download a template, outline the structure clauses, and update the language of the content according to your business needs. Although this is the least recommended method, it might not set equivalent to your requirements if it isn’t drafted accurately.
2. Online generator
This is one of the most common and easiest practices many website owners follow while drafting a privacy policy. Online Privacy policy generators are perfect for SMEs as these businesses/companies already know what they want the policy to be written, making it easier for them to use the tool.
On top of that, this tool is relatively safe compared to a free template method, but you must choose a high-quality generator to ensure that the clauses and content generated are reinforced by legal experts.
3. Engaging With A Lawyer
Hiring a lawyer is the most advisable for creating privacy since they have the knowledge of drafting a simple yet legally provisioned document. The other advantage of leveraging this resource is that you get a customized privacy policy based on the company, employees, and operations.
However, getting legal specialists is expensive and usually hired by major corporations such as Amazon. Although you can get one if you have enough funds to pay for the resource.
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In The End
Hope this blog made you think about the importance of the privacy policy and you start drafting the privacy policy for your website.
Before you figure out the policies, structure, and language of the privacy policy, conduct your research on the subject, and seek help from a professional to draft an accurate privacy policy.
