Privacy & Cookie Policies might not be the sexiest thing when it comes to your website. But let me tell you what really isn’t sexy – a lawsuit.
Now that might sound extreme, but we recently experienced a scenario where a client did have a Privacy Policy, but the problem was that it was out of date. And to make matters worse, the previous web developer had in fact plagiarised the content of that Privacy Policy (more on that later).
First, let me ask you a quick question. Do you have something as simple as a contact form on your website? Then you need a Privacy Policy. Period.
By the end of this article you will learn about the importance having an up-to-date Privacy & Cookie Policy, the do’s and don’ts and how to implement and keep yours up to date.
Back to Privacy Policies and panties. Now, not having these policies under the hood of your website is like going ‘commando’. Too much freedom, a little airy and no ‘support’ leaves far too much breathing room for loopholes and open doors for disputes over your users’ data.
Having an out of date policy is like a pair of Granny panties. They might appear to have everything together but are a little fragile, out of date and not something the world needs to be exposed to.
What you really want is a solution that is current, will stay up to date, covers all the ‘bits’ that need to be covered, offers great support and leaves you feeling confident and comfortable knowing that you won’t end up in court for ‘exposure’ of your visitors data. Cue iUbenda. But before that, a quick summary on what a Privacy Policy is, as well as a ‘Cookie’ and why you need a policy for that too.
What is a Privacy Policy?
A privacy policy is a statement or a legal document (in privacy law) that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client’s data. It fulfils a legal requirement to protect a customer or client’s privacy. – Source
What is a Cookie & Cookie Policy?
A ‘cookie’ is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user’s computer by the user’s web browser while the user is browsing – Source. A cookie can be stored from hours to weeks, months and even years.
The Cookie Law is a piece of privacy legislation that requires websites to get consent from a visitor to store or retrieve any information on a computer, smartphone or tablet. Almost all websites use cookies – little data files – to store information in peoples’ web browsers. Source
Why are we so passionate about Privacy & Cookie Policies?
Honestly, because we found that the majority of website owners quite simply don’t even know about the legal requirements for their website. Did you know that if you capture even one piece of data from a visitor then you need a rock solid Privacy Policy? That includes having simple things like a form on your website where visitors can contact you.
Not to mention the myriad of other tools that are being used on websites these days including and certainly not limited to Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Facebook Pixels, Live Chat and Email Newsletter sign ups.
Not only that, but you need to add and include third party services in your policy such as your hosting, your payment gateways if you use them, whether you use re-marketing tools such as Facebook custom audiences, push notifications and more!
To put it bluntly, if you use or have any of the above, then you need to take your Privacy & Cookie Policy seriously.
Problems can arise if a visitor to your website gets retargeted, sent email marketing or simply sees that you are using or even just gathering (Google Analytics) their data on your website without them knowing or you acknowledging that.
We are passionate about protecting our clients however we should note that ultimately it is up to the website owner to implement and input the policies on their websites.
A few do’s and dont’s
- Make sure you have all your services & integrations covered.
This is an important one. Like we mentioned earlier, you need to list and include every software and service that collect data on your website. One of the reason we love iUbenda is that it has such a comprehensive list of all of the most popular services and integrations. It’s as simple as selecting the box. - Can I just copy and paste someone else’s Privacy & Cookie Policy and I will be covered?
Gross. Think of it this way. That’s like borrowing someone else’s used granny panties. No thanks…
Like we mentioned earlier, we did experience this with a client whose previous web developer had word-for-word copied a privacy policy from another website. We presumed they had this made up by their own lawyer and we kept it.
The internet is a pretty powerful and connected place and there are tools out there that will sniff out plagiarised content. Or if you are copying any content for that matter! Our advice is to draw inspiration and recreate or start from scratch.
For Privacy & Cookie Policies it’s hard to be original and ultimately it’s a legal document, so you want it to be right and rightfully yours. The other aspect of it is that the services and integrations you use on your website may not necessarily be on the other site. This leaves yourself ‘exposed’ again.
The total solution: iUbenda
We would never recommend a product that we don’t use ourselves and you are more than welcome to check out our Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy. These have both been generated and kept up to date by iUbenda.
So what is iUbenda?
Weird name, but a powerful solution. iUbenda is a 360 degree solution to making your website compliant with the law across multiple languages and legislations with remote and automatic updates handled by their international legal team.
To date, iUbenda has more than 65,000 customers in 100+ countries that range from enterprise companies to fledgling startups. Including blogs like Emily’s at Dossier Blog and our own website here at Newcastle Creative Co.
IUbenda products include the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy Generator with 650+ clauses, Cookie Solution, Internal Privacy Management Solution and the Consent Solution.
Click HERE to find out more and sign up to iUbenda and get 10% off!
Need more help?
If you need assistance installing or implementing your Privacy & Cookie policy, contact us via the Live Chat.
*While we have taken care on the advice in this article, we are not a legal aid or agency. If you have concerns, we always recommend sending your policy to your lawyer to go over everything.
