With the great exposure of websites on the features and products being offered, a lot of people are engaged in entering different sites in order to fulfill what they are looking for. Websites come in different types. There are websites that provide entertainment, ones that provide education, some that render products and services, few others that feature a celebrity, and so on.
But did you know that a website can also collect your information when you visit it? Depending on the reliability of the site, one should be cautious enough to learn and understand its privacy policy. In this article, we will be talking about how a privacy policy on the website looks like. But before we proceed, let us understand what it is and how it should work.
What is a privacy policy?
A privacy policy is simply a statement or document that talks about the information being collected from the visitor as soon as they visit the websites.
How does it help?
Having a privacy policy on the website can help you gain the confidence of your visitors. It will clearly give them an idea of how their information is processed on the website. In that way, it will give them peace of mind about any privacy concerns.
Having a privacy policy also helps you maintain the security of your visitors’ information. With the growing business online, various legal guidelines are also to be followed to help maintain a transparent environment.
Guidelines in creating a privacy policy
In creating a privacy policy on the website, there are few things you should learn in order to present it effectively.
Your privacy policy must be clear and concise
You should prevent any misunderstanding. Your privacy policy should be clearly written and understandable. It should be direct to the point.
Keep technical jargons to a limit
In writing a privacy policy, you should prevent any terms that may mislead your visit. Prevent any technical jargon as most of your visitors may not understand what you mean. Make your words simple and understandable, and limit the technical terminology you use.
What are the details the should be addressed?
When writing a privacy policy, you should clearly tell your visitors what data is collected and used.
Information
Tell the visitors the type of information you collect and use. This may include the name of the visitor, their age, email address, contact details like phone numbers, IP address, and even the frequency or the period of time they visited your website.
Provide the why’s
Given the specifications of the information you collect, you have to provide the reason as to why you need it.
Specify the method of collection
After providing the reason for the data collection, you should ensure to clearly make your visitor understand how the information is gathered. It may be by means of registering, using cookies, answering some surveys, filling up a form, placing an order, or signing up to the newsletter.
Storage and distribution
In this section, you should inform your visitor or customer on how the information is going to be processed. How long the data will be stored and if your website is affiliated to a third party company that may have access to it. You also need to specify who has access to the data.
Consent
You should make sure that you ask the visitors’ consent. Also, specify if the visitor has an option to prohibit the data collection.
Modification
If there are any changes or modification of the policy, you should specify how the customer or the visitor will be notified. Also, ensure that the modification date is clearly stated to prevent any further confusion.
Contact information
Ensure that your visitor can contact you if there are any further questions about the policy. This may be a webmaster’s contact information or departmental contact details.
Safety
As safety is the primary reason for having a privacy policy, to effectively write it to gain your visitors’ trust, you must specify how their data is protected. Inform them if the SSL is available or if you have computer safeguards activated.
Samples of a privacy policy
If your website does not collect any information or various forms of analysis, you can check the format on this link: http://ecquire.com/blog/privacy-policy/
If your website does collect information or various forms of analysis, you can check the format on this link: https://www.cleverbox.co.uk/privacy/
Conclusion
Every website that gathers data should have a privacy policy. While there are a lot of samples available online, every website is different. Thus, the personalization of the policy is recommended to ensure a clear understanding of your visitors as to what information is being collected and used.
Whether your website collects or does not collect data, a privacy policy shows how the website enforces the safety of its visitor.
Moreover, its enforcement is the key. Your visitor should give you the consent and should be aware of what data is being gathered before even proceeding to your website. It should be direct to the point and clearly understood. As such, it should be easily accessible.
