GDPR and CCPA compliant

Privacy policies are important legal statements written to clearly communicate the means by which your platform collects, stores, shares, uses, and protects your users’ information. Any time you interact with personal data from users, no matter whether it is on an app, website, desktop program, or otherwise, you must provide a privacy policy document that details this interaction. The ultimate goal of any privacy policy is to ensure that the business issuing it adheres to electronic privacy laws in their state or country.  

Most privacy policies strive to be as thorough as possible, explaining how cookies and other trackers are implemented on websites and apps that may interact with or store users’ personal information. Your privacy policy should also detail the measures your business takes to adhere closely to both industry standards and ethical principles. Plus, your privacy policy can inform your users about their privacy rights and how they can change their specific preferences regarding the collection and usage of their data.

Privacy policies revolve almost entirely around the collection and usage of the personal information of users on a specific platform. This personal information may include but is not limited to:

• Full Names
• Physical Addresses
• Email Addresses
• Social Media Handles
• Phone Numbers
• Government ID Numbers
• Online Browsing History (Cookie Data)
• User-Generated Content
• Other Personally-Identifying Information (Health, Political Beliefs, Economic Status, Etc.)

This personal information can be collected in a number of ways. For instance, users may have the option to create accounts on your website, sign up for your newsletter, post comments, leave reviews, or make purchases. All of these interactions leave behind a data trail that can be used to personally identify the individual that performed them.

Simply put, you need a privacy policy to avoid breaking the laws of many countries and regions around the world. No matter where your business is located on the planet, you will need to utilize a privacy policy to avoid violating privacy guidelines in specific regions from which your users access your site.

However, governments and regulatory bodies aren’t the only parties that expect a privacy policy – these days, consumers also expect to see them on your website or app. In general, consumers have become more concerned about their private information and how it is used by the businesses and other online entities they interact with. Including a privacy policy demonstrates your legitimacy as a trustworthy business as well as your inclinations toward professionalism and honesty.

There are many laws created to require privacy policies around the world, including:

• GDPR: European Union General Data Protection Regulation
• CalOPPA: California Online Privacy Protection Act
• CCPA: California Consumer Privacy Act
• PIPEDA: Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

No matter where your business is located, potential customers will be able to access your website from the majority of regions with Internet access. Even if your website is operated out of the European Union, many of your users may be located in the United States. If you collect data from those users, your privacy policy must also include clauses that meet the CalOPPA or CCPA requirements.

Generally, your privacy policy should cover the types of personal information you collect, the ways you collect that information, why you collect it, how it will be stored and used, and how users can opt out or alter the way their information is collected and used. If you are in a region with highly specific privacy laws, you must include every element required in your privacy policy for it to adhere to those laws and the guidelines they establish.

The most thorough privacy policies will include the following:

• Website Information – Contact information (phone numbers, mailing addresses, email addresses) as well as information about the purpose of the website.
• Data Collection and Processing Information – How your website collects user data, such as through forms, tags, cookies, third-party services, and more. This section should also make users aware of where and for how long their data will be stored.
• Data Protection and User Rights Information – Details about users’ rights, and how they can contact you to exercise those rights. You may inform users about the specific safety measures your business has taken to protect their data.
• Privacy Policy Updates or Changes – Any time you make changes or revisions to your privacy policy to reflect new services or features of your business or your website. You may include an effective date so users know when these changes went into effect.

Websites should always generate their own privacy policies to avoid copyright disputes and providing inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information. Acting with caution concerning legal compliance and with respect to customers’ privacy should always be a priority for businesses and website operators.

Since privacy policies are legal documents, they can protect you against lawsuits or accusations of violating privacy laws and guidelines. Your website or application’s privacy policy must take into account the specific ways you collect user information, the third-party services you work with, and the laws that apply to your business website in the regions where it can be accessed.

Don’t break the law. Instead, create your own privacy policy from scratch or use CookieScript Privacy Policy Generator to simplify the process.

CookieScript Privacy Policy Generator offers a comprehensive set of features so your website or app can create a privacy policy that will ensure your compliance with privacy laws around the world. These features include:

• Unique Cookie Declaration (Cookie Policy) for Your Website: Declare the cookies that are active on your website to your users, what data they track, why they are active, and where the data they collect is stored and sent.
• Third-Party Services Selection: Choose from a list of third-party services that are active on your website to easily generate a privacy policy that accurately represents your website and its partnerships.
• Pre-Defined Third-Party Services and Options: Include more unique third-party services and options to better inform your customers of how your website operates.
• Intuitive Customization For All Lists: Customize every element of your privacy policy to ensure a detailed and comprehensive privacy policy, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Compatibility with Privacy Laws Like GDPR and CCPA: Adhere to both the EU and US online privacy laws with our options for customizing your privacy policy based on the regions you serve.