You Need a Privacy Policy. Here’s Why.
In the gold rush that is the information age, companies and governments are scrambling to get their hands on the most precious commodity—customer data. But it’s not just large corporations that need to worry about implementing privacy policies to legally protect how they’re handling customer information. If you’re collecting any kind of information from your web traffic, you need to have a privacy policy in place. Here’s why:
They’re required by law
A privacy policy is a legal notice detailing how you will collect, use, and protect a visitor’s personal information, which can include browser cookies, IP addresses, emails, and names. Businesses are required by law to disclose these procedures, but unfortunately, the laws themselves don’t establish privacy policies—you must do that yourself.
They’re required by third-party services
In addition to the law, many third-party services require it as well—if you’re using Google Analytics, or AdSense, for example, you must have specific clauses in your privacy policy explaining the use of these services. If not? you’ll violate their terms of service.
They establish trust with your custom base
Being transparent and forthright with how you collect data establishes trust with your audience—most users want to feel secure, and expect robust protection of their private information. A privacy policy signals and pledges to your customers that you care.
There are free privacy policies on the Internet, but many contain provisions that can’t simply be copy-and-pasted to your company and its data practices. Getting the proper counseling and having an attorney (preferably an expert in privacy requirements) draft your policies is an inexpensive insurance to the alternative. It’s an extra step that’s worth the distance.
If you’re not sure whether you need a privacy policy or not, it’s better to be safe than sorry. At Liqui-Site an eMazzanti Company, we possess a deep understanding of how data, personal information, and privacy policies function. From file and data security to cloud integration, keeping your network and assets safe is our business. Contact us today!
