Privacy Policies - The Watching Goes Both Ways!

Before I lose you on the intro to privacy policies (for those on the list who don’t have a clear understanding of them), let me tell you that I’m also going to be revealing an online privacy watchdog program that may have all you privacy policy procrastinators pegged! But you’ll just have to read on to learn more, won’t you!

If you run a web site that collects any kind of personal data about an individual, you had better be prepared to post a privacy policy. A privacy policy is a statement or article that defines exactly what you plan to do with personal data collected, how it will be stored, its purpose and use, the use of cookies (if any), and your site’s policy on the future use of this data.

Privacy policies are not mandatory, but because of growing concerns about the use of personal information across the Web, it’s a good idea to institute one. Sites that do not have privacy policies can be viewed with suspicion and even abandoned before a transaction is completed.

It’s appropriate to have a link to your site’s privacy policy appear at the very bottom of every web page on your site. There is no hard and fast rule to producing a privacy policy, though good ones resonate with similar criteria: personal information is for no other use other than the purpose for which it is being collected; it will not be sold or swapped at any time (if true); information is stored safely and securely; etc. For an excellent privacy resource, visit Truste’s web site. Truste is pretty much THE name in Internet privacy. A less biased resource is EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

A privacy policy does not have to be drafted by an attorney, but the larger your online business, the more likely your legal exposure, the more justified is legal intervention. However, you can go it alone…that is, with help from the ‘Net. There are several “privacy policy wizards” out there, starting again with Truste. But also look to the Direct Marketing Association for help. Check out some of your favorite web sites, too, to see what their privacy policies are, and what pieces you like and dislike. Before you know it, you will be finding yourself crafting your own fairly comprehensive privacy policy.

So, did you like my cliffhanger of an introduction? Well, here’s the other side to that privacy policy coin for you procrastinators: you’re being watched and ranked….and web surfers know it! That is, if they download a free software program called the “Enonymous Advisor.” This program will tell a visitor about a site’s privacy policy and how well it rates on a 4-star privacy scale. In addition, for its users, the Enonymous Advisor can enable the completion of online forms with a single click, even allowing you to store your name and credit card data separately and securely from your demographic profile data. Even if you don’t download this software, you can always just go to the Enonymous web site to do a check-up on how well a site’s privacy policy is ranked.

Pretty sneaky, huh?

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