Does your Website have a Privacy Policy?

A lot of people wonder if they need a privacy policy or not, and generally put this policy on the back burner as unimportant. Until the moment something happens, and you realize that it is important.

What is a Privacy Policy?

A privacy policy is a legal document that explains what data you are collecting from visitors to your site and how you and your business are utilizing this data. Individual data includes names, emails, addresses, credit card numbers, IP addresses, phone numbers, etc.

Why do you need a Privacy Policy?

There are many reasons why a privacy policy is important. Here are a few to note:

• The most important reason is that it is a federal law to have one. You may also need to include a GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) provision as well as you could be breaking international law since your website can be accessed from other parts of the world. Keep in mind that privacy laws differ from province to province, even state to state.
• Some people believe they will never misuse visitor’s data so they don’t need a privacy policy. There is always the possibility that you can get hacked, even with long passwords and firewalls. If this happens, the sole responsibility falls on you and your business.
• If you use Google Analytics, you must have a Privacy Policy. Google Analytics specifies this in their Terms and Agreement. Google Analytics is a tool used to track data about visitors visiting your website. So, if you do not have a privacy policy, you are using this tool illegally.
  
  

What should be included?

A few items that should be included in a privacy policy but not limited to, are:

• Information your business collects
• How your business uses this information
• Types of data you collect: Personal, Financial, Derivative, etc.
• Disclosing your information to others such as third-parties and advertising.
• Tracking Technologies
• Google Analytics
  
  

How to get a privacy policy?

There are a couple of options on how you can get a privacy policy:

1. Contact a lawyer to draft one up, specific to you and your business. (Recommended)
2. You can research and construct your own.
3. Purchase a template. There are many options for pre-made basic templates that can be purchased and customized. Here is one option from The Contract Shop.

Keep in mind, it is highly recommended that you follow up with a lawyer to review your privacy policy to ensure that you are covering all aspects and your website is fully protected. Be sure to speak to your lawyer about any other legal documents that may be required on your website, depending on your individual business.

In conclusion, everyone with a website needs a Privacy Policy.
Once you have your Privacy Policy and other legal documents completed, contact us at projects@whistlercreative.ca and we can help you set it up on your website.