How To Write A Privacy Policy For Your Website (Examples, Templates And Generators)

Anyone doing business online should have a privacy policy clearly posted on their website. This policy serves as protection for visitors. The privacy policy outlines what personally identifiable information the site collects and what the site does with that information.

What Is A Privacy Policy And How Does It Differ From Terms of Use?

A privacy policy is not the same as a Terms of Use document. Terms of use, which are legally binding unless they violate the law, state what the visitor may or may not do on the site. Terms of use lay out the expected behavior of the visitor, and make clear what is expected of site visitors. An example of this is sites declaring that 'no one below a certain age may use the site'.

A privacy policy, on the other hand, explains the site's use of information and informs site visitors what they can expect when they give personal information to the site.

Privacy policies explain what information is collected. This includes information provided to the site when signing for the mailing list or newsletter, information collected by the site through cookies, and any information collected under HIPAA.

A privacy policy also explains what is done with this information. If information is shared, rented or sold, this must be disclosed in the privacy statement.

How To Write A Privacy Policy

One way to write a privacy policy is to use a sample or privacy policy creator. These tools are helpful in creating a privacy policy, but should be used only as a beginning. Any privacy policy should be edited and personalized to the company issuing it.

The first step in writing a privacy policy is to identify the categories of personally identifiable information which will be collected. This may include 'name', 'address', 'email', other contact information and possibly even medical information protected by HIPAA. Each piece of information collected by your site should be named in the policy. A visitor reading the privacy policy should know exactly what information your website collects.

If your site allows consumers to view and change the information on file about them, explain this in the privacy policy. Instructions on how to view and edit personal information should be clear and easy to follow.

Explain very clearly how information is used by your site. When using a privacy policy creator, be sure to review this section and edit it as necessary. Whether information is collected through signups for a mailing list or newsletter, through cookies or by email, the uses of the information should be made clear. If information is shared with third parties, the privacy policy must explain why and when information is shared.

The final paragraphs of a privacy policy should explain how consumers can learn about future changes to the privacy policy, and identify the effected dates.

Creating a privacy policy is basically a matter of following a particular formula and filling in the necessary information. They are less complicated than contracts and can often be created using samples or generators. The resources below will be helpful in creating a privacy policy.

Free Privacy Policy Templates

Templates, or samples, allow site owners to start with a sample privacy policy and build on it to create a customized privacy policy. These samples are generally not specific to any site, but are provided merely as an example for creating a policy..

• Search-Marketing.info offers a privacy policy sample with very clear instructions for completing each section: http://www.search-marketing.info/business/privacy.htm
• SEQ Legal offer a privacy policy for use in England and Wales: https://seqlegal.com/free-legal-documents/privacy-policy
• PowerDMS provides policy statements in Word format: http://www.powerdms.com

Free Privacy Policy Generators

Privacy policy generators, or creators, allow site owners to plug in their information and receive a privacy policy tailored for their site. Sites created by generators should still be reviewed carefully for accuracy..

GeneratePrivacyPolicy.com provides a privacy policy generator that customizes the policy to the site: http://www.generateprivacypolicy.com

AdSense publishers may want to use the Adsense-specific privacy policy generation tool at: http://www.serprank.com/privacy-policy-generator

Ben Nadel provides a generator for a "generic Terms of Service and Privacy Policy": http://www.bennadel.com/coldfusion/privacy-policy-generator.htm

Legal River’s website will generate a privacy policy for any site: http://privacy-policy-generator.legalriver.com

Privacy Policy Online creates privacy policies compatible with the major affiliate sites including CommissionJunction and AdSense: http://www.privacypolicyonline.com

Why Is It So Crucial To Have A Privacy Policy?

Many affiliate programs, including AdSense, will not accept sites without a privacy policy. Many consumers will also not do business with a site unless they can read a privacy policy.

Having a policy also serves as protection against spam and other complaints from users. By making everything clear and following the policy, a site avoids many nasty interactions which could result in the absence of a good privacy policy.

To your success,

Jonny Tyson