Why Every Business Needs a Website Privacy Policy in 2024
It’s still a surprise really, that in 2024 many people are still asking the question – of whether having a website privacy policy is really important.
But it is important to understand that today, the World Wide Web has revolutionized the way we access information, socialize and do business, and online privacy is an ongoing concern for both regulators and consumers.
From sign-up forms to website cookies, almost every online service requires users to share information about themselves.
Naturally, this has generated a host of privacy & policy issues, prompting governments around the world to regulate the collection, usage, and sale of user data.
One of the earliest privacy laws passed in the US was the 2003 California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA), which required businesses to have a full website privacy policy featured on their sites or apps.
As the Internet and technology continue to evolve, however, regulators have had to play catch up with new challenges and gray areas around the way businesses and consumers track and exchange data, particularly in a globalized world.
In this article, we’re going to give a brief introduction of things you need to know about having a recognized website privacy policy in 2024, why it’s important for your business, and of course how you can generate one for your website.
What is GDPR?
In 2016, the European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): the most comprehensive data privacy legislation that has been passed to date.
The GDPR consists of 99 articles that updated and expanded previous laws around data processing in the EU.
“Data processing” refers to the “collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction of personal data.” (European Commission).
It also provides EU citizens with a set of eight “data rights” that give them more control over their personal data and privacy.
For example, a person has the right to withdraw previously given consent for their data to be processed by an organization.
The reason why the GDPR has received so much attention from companies and regulators is that it has such a broad scope.
Any organization, regardless of where they are located, may need to comply with the GDPR if they process the data of someone based in the EU.
Unlike previous privacy policy laws, the GDPR is particularly harsh when it comes to enforcement.
Since coming into effect in 2018, regulatory authorities have handed down million-dollar fines to companies like Google and Facebook for failing to properly disclose how they were using people’s personal data, amongst other egregious offenses.
Complying with the GDPR isn’t easy, but the laws have significantly changed the way many organizations manage user privacy and pushed for higher standards of transparency and data security.
Importance of having a website privacy policy
Today, almost every business is legally required to have a website privacy policy. Given that users can access your website or app from any location around the world, it’s likely that your business will need the policy to avoid infringing on any local laws.
Including an online privacy policy statement on your website also builds trust with users, as it shows that your business takes their privacy & data protection seriously and explains the steps you take to protect their personal information.
What does a website privacy policy need to include?
Your website privacy policy should clearly explain to users how their personal information is collected, used, and protected by your business.
Here are some of the key details your policy needs to cover:
- The types of personal data your business collects about users.
- How you collect, store, and secure user data.
- How users can access, update or request the deletion of any personal data collected about them.
- Whether your website uses cookies and why.
- Whether you share user data with any third parties.
- How users are notified of updates to your policy.
- The measures users should take to protect their personal information while using your website or app.
- Your contact details, so that users can make inquiries about their data or submit a privacy complaint.
Back in the early days, most privacy policies for websites were excessively long and difficult to understand, and companies didn’t make it easy for people to opt out of data collection and tracking.
In order to save time and effort, a lot of website owners also tended to copy and paste generic website privacy policies from other websites, which resulted in a lot of inaccurate policies and essentially defeated the purpose of having one in the first place.
In 2024, however, protecting your customers’ privacy takes more than simply ticking a box.
To avoid violating the litany of data protection laws that exist today, you should always put user privacy at the forefront of your business operations.
To help you get started, quickly and easily, we have outlined our 5 best free privacy policy generators that can help you generate your website privacy policy, GDPR cookies, terms of service, and more – just within two minutes.
5 best tools to generate your website privacy policy
To generate a well recognized website privacy policy, here are the best tools you will need. Click on the links to explore more.
Final Thought – Website privacy policy in 2024
It’s a good investment to have a fully legal website privacy policy to protect your business and your customers from unnecessary data and privacy-related issues.
Feel free to try any of the tools we listed above, and if you need further help, you can contact us to help you.
