What Is a Privacy Policy?

A privacy policy on your website is a legal document informing users about how you collect and handle their personal data, who you share it with, if you sell it, and any other relevant details.

You might also call a privacy policy a:

• Privacy Agreement
• Privacy Clause
• Privacy Notice
• Privacy Page
• Privacy Policy Statement

Specific platforms or services may also require a unique privacy policy template. Examples include:

• Mobile app privacy policies
• Privacy policies for Blogger
• WordPress privacy policies
• Ecommerce privacy policies
• Small Business privacy policies
• Email marketing privacy policy

However, a standard privacy policy template will likely satisfy user demands and legal requirements for your website.

Example of a Standard Privacy Policy for a Website

We’ll dive into further details later on in our required privacy policy clauses section, but a simple privacy policy outlines the following:

Privacy policies should be clear, thorough, and easy for internet users to find on any given website.

Why You Need a Privacy Policy

Almost every business that collects data through a website, mobile app, or desktop app must publish a privacy policy due to one or all of the following:

1. Data privacy laws
2. Third-party service requirements
3. Maintaining trust and transparency between your business and customers

Let’s examine these three requirements in more detail:

Privacy Policies are Required by Law

Privacy laws vary around the globe, and your website or app must abide by the regulations based on the location of your business, your targeted audience, and where you conduct business.

As data collection and processing becomes more ubiquitous across the internet, data privacy laws in the US and around the world set strict requirements for privacy policies.